Turn Back Time
by SStar Luna
Summary: What would you do if you had to choose between what was right and what was easy? Harry is faced with this very decision as he tries to cope with having to live in the past after an unfortunate accident transports him to September 1976. CHAPTER 13 NEW.
1. Birthday Surprises

Title: **Turn Back Time**

Author name: **SStar**

Rating: **PG-13 - **Will have **slash** later on in the story.

Spoilers: **PS/SS; CoS; PoA; GoF; OotP; FB; QTTA**

Summary: What would you do if you had to choose between what was right and what was easy? Harry is faced with this decision as he struggles to survive living in the past, during MWPPL's 6th year.

Harry attends lessons with James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Lily, becomes friends with Bill Weasley, while also meeting less friendly students, such as Severus Snape, Narcissa and Regulus Black. Also making appearances will be Minerva McGonagall, Nymphadora Tonks, Gilderoy Lockhart, Bellatrix Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy, and Charlie Weasley amongst many others.

This chapter: It's Harry's 16th birthday and he receives a few surprise guests. Remus and Harry have a heart-to-heart where certain truths are laid bare.

DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Author notes: This chapter was beta'd by the fantastic Angel, Anne, Kristel and Kel. The story would be much more confusing had it not been for the wonderful help and advice from these fabulous four ladies.

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**Chapter 1: Birthday Surprises**

Harry awoke with his threadbare sheets tangled around his legs. He was panting hard, as though he had just finished running a marathon. Taking several deep breaths and trying to calm his racing heart; he sat up slowly. He blinked several times, trying to remove the last images of his godfather falling through the Veil.

Reaching out, Harry picked up his glasses from the bedside table and put them on; his surroundings coming into sudden focus. By the light from the street lamp that illuminated his otherwise dark room, Harry made out the figure of Hedwig, sitting on the top of her cage. She had been watching over him silently as he slept.

Softly, so as not to awaken his aunt or uncle, Harry spoke to Hedwig. "Hey girl, were you out hunting?"

In response, Hedwig flew across the small room to land on his knee. Harry's attention was drawn to a letter attached to her leg.

"Probably the Order checking up on me," he mused as he untied it.

Hedwig gave a soft hoot and nipped his finger affectionately, before spreading her wings and leaving the room through the open window.

Holding the unopened letter in his hand, Harry's thoughts strayed to the events of the previous year: Umbridge, OWLs, Occlumency lessons, Voldemort and the Department of Mysteries. Nearly a month had passed since Fudge's admission of Voldemort's return. Every night since then, Harry had suffered nightmares. Usually he relieved Sirius' dying moments although Cedric's murder also featured prominently.. The outcome was that Harry usually woke only a few hours after he had fallen asleep, with tears falling down his cheeks and his thin body shaking from the whole ordeal.

Luckily, Harry had not received any further visions from Voldemort. Only a few days after his return to number four Privet Drive, Harry's guilt, frustration and anger at those who had attempted to manipulate him motivated him to send Hedwig to Flourish and Blotts. She carried a short note to the manager of the store, in which Harry requested a few books; one on the subject of Occlumency and several other Defence Against the Dark Arts and duelling titles; specifying that the money for his purchases should be withdrawn from his Gringotts account.

This summer Harry had been granted a reprieve from his relatives. Largely due to the threat that had been issued by the Order when Harry had been collected at King's Cross Station. It appeared that Moody had made a rather lasting impression on Uncle Vernon. The Dursleys had taken to avoiding Harry as much as possible.

He barely noticed and did not take advantage of the situation. Consumed with guilt over the events at the Ministry and helplessness over the contents of the Prophecy, Harry was most often found brooding or studying.

However, the warning was particularly fortunate one morning, when Hedwig and two other post owls arrived in the Dursleys' kitchen at breakfast; carrying the books that Harry had ordered. Uncle Vernon, whose face was rapidly turning purple, started shouting at Harry about 'Those damn owls!' and was threatening to lock him up in his room when Aunt Petunia frantically reminded him about the 'warning'. At this, Uncle Vernon went pale and in a terse voice he told Harry that: 'in future, tell those damn owls to go directly to his room,' before he quickly left for work.

Harry did not bother to reply as he was too busy gathering up his various purchases. He left the kitchen – without eating – to return to the solitude of his bedroom. There he began to read '_A Practical Guide to Improving your Occlumency Skills in Easy Steps'_.

By performing the outlined exercises and entering into a state of meditation, Harry soon felt as though he had created a reasonably strong barrier in his mind, thereby preventing any visions sent to him by Voldemort. This also enabled him to feel a small amount of relief and satisfaction; Voldemort would be unable to obtain the full Prophecy from his mind.

Bringing his thoughts back to the present, Harry released a soft sigh and decided to fall back into a light meditation. More often than not, he would be unable to sleep after those _dreams_. Instead, he would spend the rest of the night reading his books for useful spells or writing letters to the Order and his friends.

The worry and pity evident in some of the letters Harry had received so far this summer made him feel very uncomfortable. Mentions of Sirius' death and statements such as '_Don't blame yourself_' and '_It's not your fault, Harry_' only served to fuel his anger at himself and, perhaps irrationally, at the writers of the letters.

Occasionally, Harry wondered to himself whether or not he would be able to cope with living at the Burrow or Grimmauld Place. He suspected that Hermione would take the first opportunity available to get him to talk about how he was feeling and how he was coping. Unlike Hermione, Mrs Weasley would instead fuss over his appearance. Normally, the Dursleys would ration the amount of food Harry was allowed to eat, but this summer he was free to eat as much as he liked.

The only problem was that Harry had lost his appetite. His relatives did not notice, nor were they bothered by his small weight loss. After all, in their eyes, food was provided. Harry knew that Mrs. Weasley would not understand that he simply was not that hungry anymore. He also knew enough to suspect that the other visitors to Grimmauld Place would look at him with pity, a feeling he hated.

However, Harry's greatest fear was that there would be anger in their eyes, anger directed at him, and that they would blame him for what happened. He knew that talking about everything, well everything except the Prophecy would help him; but he could not. The pain was still too much; the guilt, too great. Harry just wanted to forget for a while. He wanted Sirius back. He wanted the impossible.

Snape believed that Harry wanted the fame that came with the scar on his forehead, that he went looking for it. If he could, Harry would give it all up to know his parents and to have Sirius back in his life. Instead, the only things fame had brought him were pain, loss and loneliness. Those were Harry's last conscious thoughts before he managed to fall back to sleep; the letter still unopened in his hand.

* * *

Harry woke up a few hours later to the sound of the doorbell, shortly followed by the shouts of his uncle.

"What the hell are you lot doing here? We've done as you said. The boy has assured me that he's been sending you letters and we've had bloody owls all over the house for all our troubles. He's fine, so go away!"

On that note, the door was forcefully slammed shut.

"Oh no!" groaned Harry, as he got out of bed and stumbled to his bedroom door.

He heard the doorbell again, and as he hurried down the stairs, Harry saw Moody barge in past a pale Uncle Vernon, with his wand in hand.

"Now see here, Dursley," he growled. "We came here to see Potter and not your ugly face; so you just be a good boy and let us in." Turning to face Harry, Moody greeted him. "Ah, there you are, Potter. Didn't you warn this lot that we'd pay you a visit today?"

"I didn't know you were coming. Is there something wrong? Is everyone alright?" asked an alarmed Harry.

"Everything's fine, Harry. Didn't you get our letter?" a familiar voice replied. "We sent it with Hedwig to say we were coming around this morning."

"Professor Lupin!" exclaimed Harry. "Hello! You sent a letter with Hedwig?" Harry paused for thought and the memories of the previous night came flooding back to him; he let out a small groan. "Oh, oops."

"Oops?" Lupin questioned, his eyebrow raising as he put several packages down on the floor in the hallway.

"Yeah, I got the letter late last night, but I fell back to sleep before I opened it. I think it's still in my bed. Sorry," he finished with a sheepish grin.

To his surprise, Lupin did not comment, but instead swept Harry into a hug, which was gratefully returned.

Moody grunted and turned his attention back to Uncle Vernon, who was looking nervously from Moody's wand to his revolving eye.

"So, why are you here then?" Harry asked curiously.

"Don't you know what today is, Harry?" replied Lupin with a small grin. His hand remained on Harry's shoulder, like a reassuring weight.

Any reply Harry might have made was abruptly cut short by a crashing sound. Tonks tripped as she walked into the house, the packages that she carried flying from her arms. One hit Uncle Vernon, but any complaint from him was quickly smothered when Moody pointed his wand at him.

Harry watched with interest as Moody and Lupin cast levitating charms on the packages. Moody then turned to face Harry. "Now why don't we go into the kitchen rather than crowd the hallway here?" Moody announced.

He began directing the packages in the direction of the kitchen, as the others followed; with a red faced Uncle Vernon bringing up the rear.

"Ah, sorry about that there," Tonks apologised. "Couldn't see the floor what with all those things I was carrying. Wotcher, Harry! How are you today?"

"Fine, but I don't…" his reply was cut off once more, this time by screaming from the kitchen. Aunt Petunia and Dudley had finally noticed the floating packages. Uncle Vernon, who had managed to enter the kitchen before the others, was trying to get his wife and son out to safety, but Moody noticed the action with his magical eye and stopped them.

"Not so fast, Dursley!" Moody growled at the retreating group. "Aren't you going to stay and wish Potter here a 'Happy Birthday'? Why don't you take a seat?" he finished, with a menacing smirk on his face.

"My-my _birthday_, it-, is it, it's _today_?" stuttered Harry.

"You didn't know it's your birthday?" the question came from an incredulous Tonks.

Harry blushed as he looked from one adult to another. Lupin looked at him with a small smile of understanding, while Moody glared at the Dursleys as though he wished he could turn them all into rodents.

Tonks shook her head and let out a rather unladylike snort before grabbing Harry and kissing him on the cheek. "Happy sixteenth, Harry. We couldn't let you celebrate this one on your own; after all, it is an important one for the Muggles, right?"

"Umm, yeah, I suppose," a shocked Harry replied.

"What's so special about turning sixteen then?" asked Moody.

"Well, you can leave home once you've turned sixteen in the Muggle world," began Harry, but Uncle Vernon interrupted him.

"Ha, well if you are sixteen then, why don't you get out of our home? It's not like we really want your kind here."

"Now, Mr Dursley," Lupin started in a stern voice. "You and your wife know that Harry has to stay here for the summer, so let's stop with the comments like that?"

Harry, used to his relatives' attitude regarding him and his magical abilities, carried on regardless. But he also listened to the amusing comments Lupin muttered under his breath.

"I think you can buy cigarettes legally."

_'Better not, Mrs Weasley will have something to say about that!'_

"You can leave school as well."

_'Definitely wouldn't want to give Snape the satisfaction of that!'_

"And you can legally have sex!" finished Harry with a sly grin at his one time Professor. His green eyes were bright with laughter; something that had been missing for quite a while.

Tonks burst out laughing at the scandalous looks Harry received from the older Dursleys, as well as the look on Lupin's face, when he realised what Harry had just said. Currently Lupin was trying to stop coughing, while a light blush stained his cheeks.

"Good one there Harry, although I think Remus might disagree with me!" she choked out.

Moody's lips were twisted into what Harry presumed was a grin; his magical eye was rotating in its socket. Most likely looking for any intruders outside the house Harry presumed.. Lupin, having regained a measure of control, though his cheeks were still pink; asked the amused birthday boy whether he'd like to open his gifts now. Harry was only too happy to oblige and opened a large square box that Lupin pushed over to him.

Inside was a beautifully iced birthday cake from Mrs Weasley. Smiling, Harry asked everyone whether they would like a slice. The Dursleys declined with a disgusted look at both the wizards and the cake. Harry however, noticed that Dudley's pig-like eyes were firmly glued to the box containing the cake. After he had cut slices for the three guests and himself, Harry turned his attention back to the presents that Tonks and Lupin had brought with them.

Harry was shocked at the sheer number of gifts on the table. He was sure he didn't know that many people and this year there wouldn't be one from Sirius… Shaking his head, he pushed those thoughts from his mind, put a smile on his face and took the next gift Tonks had pulled out of the pile for him. Opening it, he found a book titled '_Quidditch: The English Lions'_, from Ron. Not very surprising, Hermione's present was also a book, '_Curses, Hexes and Jinxes for the Discernible Dueller_'.

"That should be useful against Malfoy if he tries to hex me again," he mused out loud, and put it aside to unveil his next present; a small heap of sweets from Ginny, Neville, and Luna.

Next, he was handed a small box that was curiously warm to the touch. Opening the card that was attached to the box, Harry recognised the messy scrawl as being Hagrid's handwriting.

_Dear Harry, _

_Happy 16th!_

_I recently came across this egg and thought you might like it. I had the Headmaster put a warming charm on the inside of the box to keep the egg warm until it hatches, but I don't know when that'll be. I'm not entirely sure what kind of egg it is either though it looks kind of familiar, but it'll be a nice surprise when it hatches!_

_If them Muggles aren't treating you right, let me know (or Moody, I swear he wants to hex them!)_

_Hope you have a good day,_

**_Hagrid_******

"What is that?" inquired Tonks, as Harry opened the box to peek in at the mysterious egg.

"It's from Hagrid," Harry explained. "I don't know if this is a good thing or not, but he says he's not sure what type of egg it is. What do you think?"

Tonks just rolled her eyes, obviously used to Hagrid's fascination with strange and dangerous animals.

Lupin also looked curiously into the box, but seemed none the wiser for it. "Well, I don't recognise it either. But I can tell you this Harry, it's definitely not a dragon's egg," at which Harry grinned at Lupin. "Nor anything of that ilk. I don't think it's dangerous. Then again, you won't know until it's hatched. It could be some sort of bird I suppose, or maybe a snake, though not a rather large one," he mused. "But you wouldn't have problems if it was, would you?" Remus turned to face the retired Auror. "Moody, do you recognise it at all?" he asked.

"I don't know, lad, it isn't my area of expertise; but if I were to guess, I'd say its some sort of bird," replied Moody from where he was watching the three Dursleys, who were either whimpering or silent with shock at the mention of dragons.

"Well, you may as well put it aside and keep an eye on it then. It doesn't look like it'll hatch for a while yet, so you're safe. Besides, if it's big and scary, it'll give Moody and I something to do! Now come on, there are more presents to open!" came from an impatient Tonks, who was bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Next came presents from Bill and Charlie Weasley. Bill had sent him a wand holster, which was met with approval from Moody; he had told Harry off the previous year after he had put his wand in his back pocket. Charlie had sent him a necklace of sorts.

"Is that a dragon's tooth?" exclaimed an excited Tonks, after she saw what Harry was curiously examining.

It was a tooth of some sort, most likely from a dragon, due to the second eldest Weasley's work with dragons. It was threaded onto a black leather thong. There were two gems somehow embedded in the tooth, an emerald and underneath it, a sapphire.

"It's beautiful," breathed Harry.

It reminded him of the Hungarian Horntail from the first task of the Triwizard competition. With the exception of the Dursleys, everyone chuckled when Harry read the short note from Bill and Charlie. The note explained that while they knew their mother would not approve of a fang earring, like Bill's, they hoped that the necklace would be okay. With that, Harry immediately put it on; the weight of the tooth hanging comfortably from around his neck.

"Going for the rebellious look Harry?" teased Tonks.

Harry flashed a quick grin at Lupin as he replied to Tonks, "Why? Don't you think it suits me?"

"Oh definitely not!" she exclaimed. "What with the geeky glasses and hand-me-down clothes. You need something with more flash in that area Harry."

By this point, Tonks was looking as if she would almost burst with excitement. Harry raised a dark eyebrow at her behaviour, before looking at Lupin in hope of an explanation.

"Well you see, several people at the Order got together and we decided to get you some things," he started; but Harry's attention was drawn back to Tonks, who had whipped out her wand and was levitating several soft bundles over to him.

"What Remus here, means to say, is that we saw what you've been wearing, and quite frankly, Harry, it sucks!" Tonks exclaimed. She grinned widely at an embarrassed Harry, her green hair only added to the manic look on her face. "We can't have a young, good-looking lad like you walking around, looking like … well, you know. Besides, I bet you haven't had any new clothes, especially from this lot," she finished with a dark look directed at the Dursleys. At this last remark, Uncle Vernon lost his temper once more.

"We gave the boy a roof over his worthless head! We've fed him and spent who knows how much on him! Who the hell are you to tell us how to treat him?" he shouted.

"Those clothes were perfectly fine when that boy was given them," retorted Aunt Petunia. "After all, why bother buying him clothes, especially when he'd probably do some freakish thing to them anyway and ruin them?" she finished with a sniff.

At this, Moody decided that he had heard quite enough, and he cast a silencing spell on the Dursleys, leaving the three Muggles gaping, as if they were goldfish.

Harry was busy pulling various items of clothing out of the multiple packages; while Lupin and Tonks looked on with amusement.

He sorted through the clothing, finding trousers and T-shirts, which were actually all in his size for once. "This is too much! I can't take this, I mean, how much must all this have cost? It's too much!" Harry said, as he unwrapped a package containing shirts.

"Don't worry about that. Lots of people put a bit in and well, we ended up with all that," replied Lupin in his typical calm, reassuring manner. "Besides, it's your birthday! You probably haven't ever been spoiled, so we're starting now. I think some of the people at the Order felt sorry that you had to stay here for the summer. You should accept the present for what it is Harry."

Harry knew that Lupin was right, but it felt so strange. After all, he wasn't used to things like this. The most expensive thing he could remember receiving was his Firebolt from Sirius in his third year. It was currently in his room, having been returned to him after the demise of Umbridge reign as Hogwarts High Inquisitor.

Harry's roaming hands came across another pair of trousers and he spoke up in a rather strained voice "Ummm, Professor? Tonks? Who exactly bought me these? I mean, I think you've got my size right and all, but who would buy me a pair of **LEATHER** trousers!"

Lupin's amber eyes held a mischievous glint, while a smirking Tonks answered a crimson-faced Harry.

"Ooo, I was wondering what Bill was up to," she said. "He disappeared and when he got back, he handed me a wrapped package. He wouldn't tell me what he bought, even when I threatened to hex him. I was afraid we might have bought the same thing, but I like his taste!" Pouting at the birthday boy, she asked, "So Harry, are you going to try those trousers on for me then?"

Coughing to cover his surprise, Harry managed to stutter out a half-hearted apology. While he was turning a deeper shade of red, he heard the sound of laughter from the other two wizards.

Tonks merely shrugged and told him, "Well, I suppose I'll let you off, but make sure you wear them on a date with your next girlfriend!"

In an attempt to divert Tonks' line of thinking, Harry asked who had contributed towards the new clothes so that he could thank them later. To his utter amazement, the list included Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Charlie and the Twins, Kingsley, Professor McGonagall – upon which Harry gaped at Lupin, who replied that McGonagall felt Harry had an image to project at school and she thought those _rags _he had been wearing were utterly unsuitable! – along with several other witches and wizards.

Lastly, there were Remus and Tonks, who had bought the majority of the clothes. Harry was so overwhelmed by their generosity that he sat in shock for a moment, before jumping up and hugging Tonks and Lupin, all the while repeating his thanks.

Before Harry sat back down, Hedwig and another owl came flying in through the open kitchen window, carrying a letter and a rather bulky looking package. Uncle Vernon, who was still mute, got up out of his chair, as if to remove the owls, but quickly sat back down with the rest of his family when Moody pointed his wand in his direction. Harry untied the parcel and unwrapped it, as Lupin offered the tired birds some water and a few slices of bacon.

"I thought we gathered all of Potter's presents at Headquarters," remarked Moody, "Who's that from?"

Quickly scanning the card that came with the parcel, Harry grinned at the other three, "It's from the members of the DA. I don't believe it! It says that most of them got 'Outstanding' in their Defence Against the Dark Arts exam; they decided to send me a thank you gift. Wow!" He ripped off the wrapping paper and looked amazed at the two books on Advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts.

"Congratulations Harry," replied Lupin, smiling at him. "Between the four of us though, Professor McGonagall told me that the Fifth Years in the DA got the highest marks in their Defence Against the Dark Arts OWL exams; and the NEWT students also did very well. That's something to be proud of," he praised.

"Thanks, but we all agree that you were the best teacher we ever had," replied Harry, as he accepted another package from the blushing werewolf. Frowning slightly, Harry held up a full-length black Dragon-skin coat, and a rectangular box fell from the coat's pocket.

"Who's that from Harry?" asked Tonks curiously.

Reading the note attached to the box, Harry realised that the coat and box were from Fred and George Weasley.

_Hey Harry (our wonderful Investor),_

_Happy 16th Birthday mate!_

_Hope you like the coat. After all we, Gred and Forge, owner of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, can't have our prized Investor wearing those plebeian things that 'normal' people wear, so in the tradition started with our own dragon-skin jackets, we present you with your very own, finest quality, dragon-skin coat! (We thought black would be better, more intimidating! However, if Charlie asks, we didn't buy it! He's already sent us a howler about our own jackets.)_

_As you may have also noticed dear Investor, we have included a second present. The box has been enchanted, so that if you are in need of a 'Canary Cream' or one of our fireworks, for example; all you have to do is think of the prank you want to play and something suitable will appear in the box! We got the idea from the 'Room of Requirement', isn't it great? That box is made especially for you, since you were generous enough to help us start up! Thank you so much, come and visit the store soon!_

**_Gred and Forge, Owners of WWW._**

"Umm, it's from Fred and George. Apparently, Charlie's been giving them grief over their jackets, so they've warned me to be careful," said Harry laughing.

"But the box is empty. What's it supposed to hold?" quizzed Tonks as she peered into the box, looking as if she expected something to jump out at her.

Harry explained that the box worked using the same principles at the 'Room of Requirement' at Hogwarts.

He took the box from Tonks to demonstrate. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on skipping a torturous Potions lesson with Snape. Opening the box, he pulled out a Skiving Snack, and handed it to Tonks who seemed quite impressed.

Harry looked at the large pile of presents that he had already unwrapped. He couldn't believe the generosity of his friends, but the part of him that was missing Sirius, weighed heavily on him. He couldn't help thinking that he would have given up all of his presents, just to have him back. He knew it was selfish, but he couldn't help it. He missed Sirius so much, and it was entirely his fault.

Moody, who had been calling out his name, jerked him from his thoughts.

"Sorry, I was a million miles away. What did you say?"

"Well Potter, what with everyone running around for your birthday, I thought I better get you something," he said. "Mind you, I wasn't going to spend galleons on anything silly, may as well get you something useful after all. Besides, I hear you fancy being an Auror, right?"

"Uh well yes, I was thinking about it, but I don't know if I'll get the grades for it," replied Harry. 'Or if I'll still be alive then,' he added mentally.

"Well, we'll find out soon enough I suppose, but you've got decent reflexes and a good head on your shoulders; when you use it. Anyway, here you are Potter, but don't go telling people about this," he said as he put a small box on the table.

With a wave of his wand, the box grew into a trunk. It was similar to the one Moody had been trapped in for most of Harry's Fourth Year; except instead of seven locks, it only had four. "And don't either of you two say anything either or I'll hex your mouths shut for a week," he threatened, as grins appeared on their faces.

"Wow. Moody, are you sure?" asked Harry, as he examined the trunk. It was the darkest blue, with gold locks. Harry knew that he could fit everything in with lots of room to spare.

His eyes were drawn to a small metal plate and he raised his eyebrow as he read the engraving, which simply said '**_Harry Potter_**'. "Well, I suppose I'll have to take it; after all, there is only one Harry Potter, right?" he said.

Tonks chuckled and with a sly smile at Moody, she moved forward so she could whisper in Harry's ear. "You know, we all suspected he had a soft spot for you Harry. Did you know he wouldn't tell anyone if he got something for you? Some people thought he was pulling a Snape and was going to ignore your birthday."

Harry saw Moody move to point his wand at Tonks, who held her hands up and stood back. Lupin cleared his throat, smiled at Harry, and nervously slid his present across the table.

Opening the gift, Harry ran his fingers over the fabric inside. It was a dark shade of green; rich in colour, with a delicate gold and silver trim design, which reflected the light well. Standing up, Harry held up the dress robes and his mouth fell open in admiration. There was a dragon stitched with the same gold and silver threads on the robe. The head of the dragon could be found on the right hand side, at the front of the robe, just under the neckline. The dragon's neck twisted around the side of the robe, partly obscured by the sleeve where it met the body, which lay on the back of the robe. The dragon's tail snaked out from the back and curled up around the bottom of the robe.

"_Professor,_" whispered Harry. "It's beautiful." He carefully folded up the robe and then grabbed Lupin in a hug. "Thank you," he told him as Lupin returned the hug.

"You know, all things considering Harry, you should call me Remus, or if you prefer, Moony," he told Harry after they had separated.

"I'll try, I'm used to thinking of you as a professor though," said Harry.

"But you call Mad-Eye there, Moody," countered Tonks.

"But I didn't actually teach him, it was that Barty Crouch Jr." spat Moody.

"Yes, well, leaving that, how about we pop all your presents in your new trunk for now and take it up to your room? I'm sure the Dursleys would like their kitchen back." Lupin's statement drew their attention to the mostly forgotten Dursleys, who had watched Harry unwrapping his presents with wide disbelieving eyes. They were currently caught between glaring and sulking but were obviously much too afraid of the wizards to do anything.

"Now, I'll just remind you of the talk we had at the train station. We don't want to hear of any bad treatment towards Harry going on, trust me, you don't want to see me on one of my 'wilder days'," he finished.

With that, he levitated the trunk out of the kitchen and up the stairs, into Harry's bedroom leaving Moody and Tonks to deal with the Dursleys, once they removed the jinxes that had been set upon them.

* * *

****

Closing the door after Harry had stepped into the room, Remus sat down on the bed. Harry sat down next to him, hands clasped in his lap.

"Harry, I have a few things I need to talk to you about," he said, "Firstly, I don't mean to nag at you, but have you been eating?"

"Yes I have," Harry replied.

Lupin raised his eyebrow at Harry, his expression clearly saying that he didn't believe him.

"What about you? Have you been eating, because you're not exactly a normal weight either," Harry snapped.

With a self-depreciating smile, Lupin shook his head, "No, I admit, I sit down at mealtimes, but I'm lucky if I eat half of it. Molly's going spare, she doesn't know what to do with me. I think she might suspect I'm insulting her cooking by not eating." He finished with a small chuckle before looking at Harry again.

"Same here," Harry admitted with a sigh. "I just don't seem to finish meals. I'm just not hungry. I can't stop thinking about Si-him. Reading seems to be the only thing that can distract me for the moment."

Remus held the smaller boy in a loose hug. He could see the tiredness, guilt, and the pain reflected in Harry's face. He knew it was mirrored in his own face.

"Harry. I'll make you a promise. I'll eat dinner each night, if you also do the same. Okay?"

"Resorting to bribery now?"

"If I have to," came the reply.

Harry got off the bed and began pacing in the small bedroom.

"I'm not some kid you know. I haven't been one for a long time. Not anymore. I don't need someone to tell me what to do," he told Remus, angrily.

"I know that," responded Remus, in a sad voice. "I'm not going to, nor do you want me to. I can't be James, and I won't take over for Sirius." Harry hid the small flinch at his godfather's name. "I don't know Harry, I'm as lost as you are. I see you ... a young man, growing up in a world of pain. I empathise with you. I don't know if you want a friend, or if I can be that person for you either. After all, you already have Hermione and Ron.

"I suppose I'm saying that I can try to understand. If you want, you can shout at me, hit me, or talk to me, whatever you want, I'll try to be there for you. I make no promises to always be there or anything like that. After all it's a promise all too easy to break and I don't want to hurt you any more than you have been. Besides, you still haven't answered my original question," he finished.

Harry stopped pacing as he thought about what Remus had said, before turning around to face his one-time professor. His green eyes filled with a mixture of desperation and understanding. "Can you treat me as an adult and not a child? Can you tell me the truth when I ask questions?" he demanded.

Remus sat on the bed in silence, carefully considering Harry's words before replying. "I can't treat you as an adult because you aren't one yet. You're still growing up, still fighting. Not to find your place in the world because I think that's already been thrust upon you, whether you wanted it or not, but to find out who you are. Nor are you old enough to fully cope with the consequences that come with being an adult."

Any protest Harry would have made was stopped by the fierceness in the older man's amber stare, "I can, however, treat you as the young man I see. I recognise the experiences you have already undergone and I understand that it has made you emotionally older than your sixteen years. I will respect you for that, for what you have gone through and what you will have to go through. I hope to treat you accordingly.

"I won't lie to you, but I may not always be able to tell you the truth when you want me to. That is something you must come to accept and not just of me. It is a childish trait; the world isn't made up of black and white, truths and lies, as you have already experienced. I will be there for you, to help you understand if you need it, to carry your burdens for you, if you want it. I won't treat you like a child, that much I know. However, tomorrow has yet to come, and we don't know what it will bring."

Remus stood up, walked over to Harry, and slid his hand under Harry's chin, tilting it upwards until their eyes met. "I will stand by your side until I can no longer do so. Even then I will still be with you. I don't think you understand yet, but you draw people to you. They can't help but follow you."

The grip on Harry's chin tightened, ever so slightly. "_Understand _Harry, they follow out of their own free will. Not obligation, fame, or fear, like Voldemort inspires. You cannot blame yourself for that which you cannot control. You have to understand that the Order, your friends, _people_, make their own decisions and if they are lost because of it, so be it. It cannot always be your fault. You do not control their actions, as they do not control yours.

"If your friends and loved ones die, they will still be with you, in your heart. For one so touched by death and pain, you have a remarkable amount of love to give and you inspire the same in others for yourself. It is a gift both rare and _powerful_, but I think you are one who can use it wisely. Can you accept that Harry?"

Breaking off from Harry's confused eyes, Remus returned to the bed and sat back down. "So, do we have a deal?" he asked once more, his tone not quite so intense anymore.

"What? Oh, umm ... er, yes?"

Remus chuckled, lifting the serious mood. "I don't think it was quite an answer, but I'll take what I can get."

"Huh?"

"Eating at dinner?" Remus reminded. "Come on now Harry. Besides, can you imagine Molly if we both stay at Headquarters looking as thin as we both are? Which is something else I need to ask. Do you want to come over to Grimmauld Place later this summer, if the Headmaster gives it the all clear? You don't have to, I can understand if you don't," he finished.

"I suppose I should. It's just being there, bringing back those memories. I can't forget that he hated it there. That he was hurting, having to stay in that house, but I can do it. I have to do it. For Sirius, for my parents, for you," he whispered. "Especially since I asked you to treat me as an adult. I should stop being so childish about a house I suppose. Besides you'll be there, won't you?" asked Harry.

"Yes, I'll be around," Remus replied as a warm smile played on his lips. "On a slightly more educational note, there's a small problem with the OWL results. Well, more like _only_ your OWL results. Someone noticed that your results have been tampered with. It's not that big a deal, so don't panic, they're rechecking them just in case, but you should get your results soon." Harry nodded and sat back down next to the older man.

"Harry?" Remus hesitantly began. "I have one more present here for you, from Sirius." Harry stared at Remus, his heart pounded in his ears. Harry felt warmth filling him while, at the same time tears formed unbidden in his eyes.

"I wished, you know, I'd have given all this up just to have him back, but I didn't expect anything, I couldn't ask…" he trailed off.

Remus smiled understandingly, "He somehow managed to get you an open appointment at an Opticians, I believe that's what they're called, in Diagon Alley, to be made at your convenience. You're supposed to get new glasses, and he specifically said you had to get contact lenses as well. You know, sometimes the Muggles really know how to do a good thing. It's a pity some people don't try to understand.

"Anyway, Sirius said you might argue about the contacts, so he was trying different ways to persuade you to get them. I think he ended up with _'He's growing up into a handsome young man, and we wouldn't want to hide those eyes from the all those girls, and even some of the boys at Hogwarts, now would we? We wouldn't be doing our duty as Marauders, if we weren't causing some sort of mischief or distraction with any and all available tools, and I think Harry is it!_'

"I don't think he quite got what he wanted to say right, but he's correct, a new pair of glasses would do you wonders. We can get a unbreakable charm put on them as well," he told Harry, who was caught between amusement and embarrassment at what his godfather had said.

Before either wizard could say anything else, there was a knock at the door.

"Remus!" Tonks yelled through the closed door, "The Dursley's have left the house, I think Moody scared them off. Anyway we have to go, Moody's muttering in the kitchen and I think he might curse you if you take much longer. Sorry mate," she finished and Harry heard her walk down the stairs, presumably to the kitchen.

"Looks like I have to leave. Try and keep well, and remember, if you need to talk, just send me a letter. If you don't, send me a letter anyway," grinned Remus, trying to distract Harry.

Opening the door, Remus and Harry walked down the stairs, until they reached the hallway, where Moody and Tonks were waiting.

"Thank you for coming over this morning. I still can't quite believe I forgot my own birthday. Can you thank the Order for buying those clothes for me? It's still too much … but thanks," said Harry gratefully.

"Will do Harry," replied Tonks cheerfully. "Can you make sure you pack those old clothes of yours and bring them to Headquarters?" she asked with a wicked grin. "I want to make a small bonfire. You don't mind do you Harry? I swear though, if I see you wearing them again, I'll set fire to the clothes with you wearing them!" she threatened.

"Of course Tonks. Thanks," Harry said and he hugged her before nodding to Moody. Turning to Remus, he gave him a small smile and hugged the werewolf again. He whispered a quiet "_Be safe Remus_", before letting go of the older man. He watched the three leave number four Privet Drive and Apparate before closing the door and returning to his room.

He spent the rest of the day organising his schoolbooks and other such items into the separate compartments of his new trunk and sorting out the new clothes that he now owned. He had a strong suspicion that Tonks had slipped in some items while Remus had not been looking. After all, why did he have several silk shirts!

Shaking his head at the loveable, yet strange Metamorphmagus' behaviour, he settled down to start reading the duelling book from Hermione. Not once did the Dursleys disturb him that day, and remembering his deal with Remus, he finished his dinner before returning to his room to carry on reading his new book.

* * *

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Author notes: The **Turn Back Time Yahoo Group** is a place where updates, missing scenes and general discussion about the story can be found as well as random spoilers for future chapters. Updates and other writings can also be found on my **Livejournal**** (sstarluna)**. Links to both sites can be found on my profiles page.

Next chapter: OWL results time. Harry arrives at Grimmauld Place and there is a trip to Diagon Alley, before an explosive encounter with a portrait.

For everyone who are patiently (or not so patiently in some cases grins) waiting for the next chapter of **Turn Back Time** … I am still working on it. Work on the chapter stalled due to my RL commitments and sudden death of my laptop (rest it's poor soul!). I have a new job and several other fandom commitments to adjust to. I'm also working on editing the second chapter of **Turn Back Time**. All I can do is offer my apologies. I appreciate the reviews and read them all. I hope to get the next chapter out as soon as I can – but I won't until I'm happy with the content. After all, I expect to read good quality chapters and I hope you expect the same of me. Adding to which, the whole plotline of **Turn Back Time** is growing again groans quietly It's a monster! Keep an eye on my **Yahoo Group** or **Livejournal** for updates to my progress. Please leave a comment about what you think of this new edited version of _Chapter 1_.

**_SStar_****__**


	2. Reunions

Comments: e-mail at sstar_luna@yahoo.co.uk or Review button below.

Rating: PG-13 for now, may change later. Will be slash later in the story: HP/?, JP/LE

Spoilers: Books 1-5. Do not read unless you have FINISHED _The Order of the Phoenix_.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot. All Harry Potter™ characters and settings are the sole intellectual property of JK Rowling, Warner Bros. and various others who all aren't connected to me in any way. No money is being made with this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

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Chapter 2: Reunion

Harry was walking up the stairs to his bedroom after another uneventful dinner in the company of his relatives. Aunt Petunia had been telling her husband about the gossip she had overheard that day, regarding the _dreadful_ behaviour of the new couple that had moved into the neighbourhood. Uncle Vernon on the other hand, had been discussing the GCSE exam results that Dudley would be receiving sometime soon. Harry seemed to be the only one at the table who noticed the way Dudley was squirming and trying changing the subject. He mused that the exams had not gone quite so well for Dudley, although Harry suspected that Uncle Vernon would blame everyone except his son for that. All in all, Harry would have preferred not to have sat down to dinner that evening but he made a deal with Remus and he respected the older man too much to recant on it.

As he walked into his room, Harry immediately noticed that Hedwig was waiting on his bed with a letter attached to her leg. After he untied the letter, Hedwig gave a grateful hoot and flew into her cage for a short rest. Skimming the short note from Remus, Harry discovered that he was to be picked up and transported to Headquarters sometime in the near future. The note specified that he pack all unnecessary items however, Remus apologised regarding the lack of details. '_I'm sorry Harry, but it's not safe to write how or when I'll come to pick you up in case Voldemort manages to intercept the owl_'. "Well that's helpful to know" muttered Harry sarcastically to Hedwig, who just stared back at him. Throwing several items into his trunk that had been scattered around his room, Harry sat down on his bed and distracted himself of thoughts about Sirius and Grimmauld Place by reading '_Quidditch: The English Lions_'. 'Tomorrow', thought Harry, 'I'll get ready for it tomorrow. Will have to tell the Dursleys as well, bet they can't wait to get rid of me'.

**********

One afternoon, several days later, Harry was found reading one his Duelling books he had bought earlier that summer. Although DADA was his best subject by far, Harry actually had little practice in duelling with others. Of course, that small list _did_ include one of the most feared Dark Lords, Voldemort, as well as a few of his Death Eaters. Harry however, felt that his duelling technique could do with a lot of improving, especially after seeing the Headmaster and Voldemort duel in the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic. Harry had realised over the course of the summer that Transfiguration and Charms had their place in duelling, not just DADA. With that in mind, Harry had resolved to practice hard in those areas so that he was not so helpless, not if, but when he was to face Voldemort again. Harry would not find himself in such a situation where he depended on someone else to defend both him and themselves just because he did not know how to duel.

The screams of Aunt Petunia shattered the quiet of number 4 Privet Drive. Fearing that Death Eaters had breached the protection on the house, Harry rushed down the stairs wand in hand, only to find Remus and Moody in the hallway.

"Hey Remus, Moody. Am I leaving?" asked Harry, ignoring his Aunt, who had turned rather pale at the sight of the three wands.

"Yes Potter. Where's your trunk? You're all packed right?" Moody replied.

"Ummm, yes. Wait a minute though, how do I know you are who you say you are?" remembered Harry, casting a suspicious look at the two wizards.

"Good thinking Harry. I'm _Moony_. Your Patronus, which I taught you, is _Prongs_, and your Firebolt was bought by _Padfoot_ for your Christmas present in your Third year" praised Remus with a smile.

"Okay! Just wait a minute while I throw the last lot in", yelled Harry as he ran back up the stairs into his bedroom. Throwing the book he had been reading along with some clothes he had not packed into his trunk, he glanced over the room and checked under the bed for any forgotten items. Everything was in his trunk, a present from Moody, including his beloved Firebolt, and so he grabbed the trunk's handle in one hand and Hedwig's cage in the other and made his way back downstairs to the two waiting wizards.

Moody took hold of the trunk and cage and walked back out of the open door, presumably to however Harry was being transported to Order Headquarters. Harry said a quick goodbye to Aunt Petunia, to which she merely glared back at him before Remus placed a hand on his shoulder and led him out of the house, for another year at least. "Lovely reception. I hope she doesn't treat all her guests in that manner" Remus mused, a wicked glint in his eyes. "I'd have thought she'd be used to it by now. Oh well. How are you doing Harry?" he asked as the two wizards approached a black car. "Ministry car" the older man answered to Harry's questioning look.

"I've been better, but I'm not about to fall apart on you just yet! I've been reading up on duelling techniques and obviously reading the letters you wrote" he answered as he got into the car. "Thank you for that, I feel much better about how my dad and Sirius behaved at school. It's more obvious now that Snape's a biased git, but I do admit they weren't very nice at times either".

"Wotcher Harry. You alright back there?" asked Tonks, turning in her seat and grinning at Harry. He noticed that she had spiky purple hair today and wished that she could have shocked his Aunt Petunia by entering the Dursleys house again.

"Fine thanks Tonks. How are you?" he replied as Remus sat down in the seat next to himand closed the car door.

"Great, can't wait to get you back to Headquarters. You're lucky that I'm driving you there. Better me than Mad-Eye here, you'd end up stuck somewhere on the M5 I bet" she shouted as she started the car.

"Remember Tonks, I may be older than you, but it means I know more curses than you" growled Moody from his seat in the front of the car. Laughter filled the small space as Tonks started driving to London.

**********

The four reached 12 Grimmald Place sometime in the early evening. Tonks and Moody drove off to return the car while Remus and Harry went to enter the secret Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, Sirius' old family home. As Harry stood on the pavement, watching the house appear from nowhere, his thoughts drifted back to last summer. The days he and the Weasleys spent cleaning the house, Sirius' dislike of being confined there, secret Order meetings, Mrs Black's portrait and the house-elf, Kreature. 

Harry felt his temper rising as he remembered the house-elf's betrayal and how it led to Sirius' death. Harry's eyes narrowed and his grip on Hedwig's cage became tighter. He jumped when he felt Remus' hand on his back, giving him a gentle nudge in the direction of the house. However, his anger lessened as the apprehension in him grew with every step he took towards the house. 

He was looking forward to seeing Ron and Hermione again, of course he was. Nevertheless, at the same time, he didn't want to answer their questions. He knew they'd notice the weight loss, his quieter moods, that he preferred to spend more time alone, and he knew that they wouldn't understand **_why_**. That they couldn't help him this time, unlike with their many adventures in the past. How could they, when he didn't fully understand? The hurt, the grief was still as strong. The worry, increasing each day, of what Voldemort would do, who would die next. They were still teenagers, but then again so was he. Yet he was not. He had a mission, a purpose, one thrust on him by the Prophesy, by Voldemort. _It was a circle_, Harry realised. Voldemort and Harry were there when it began, and they would be there when it ended.

Without realising, Remus, Harry, and his trunk were in a bedroom that Harry did not recognise. Setting Hedwig's cage ontop of his trunk Harry apologised to Remus. "Sorry, I was lost in thought" he said. Looking around Harry asked, "I don't recognise this room? Aren't I sharing with Ron again? He is here I assume?"

The werewolf smiled, understanding on his tired face and gestured for the younger man to sit down on the bed. Remus moved a chair away from the desk in the corner of the room and sat down opposite Harry. "I thought you'd prefer your own room, what with everything that's going on in your life. I guessed Ron might not appreciate your dreams, and I don't think that you would want him to know too much about them either" he replied. Seeing Harry blush, he quickly carried on. "You'll have a bit more privacy basically. My room is just a couple of doors down if you need me". 

With a small smile, Harry thanked Remus. "Who else is at Headquarter then? Apart from you and me?"

"Well, Molly and Arthur are staying here until you lot go back to Hogwarts. Ron and Ginny obviously, Hermione arrived a few days ago. Bill and Charlie have been around, oh and I'm sure you'll be seeing the Fred and George about" answered Remus, pausing for thought before he carried on. "Tonks and Moody are around a fair amount. I think that at least one of us will be here most of the time. Ah yes, Neville Longbottom will be staying here as well. Dumbledore sending someone to collect him in a day or two, although I'm not entirely sure why. Everyone else will be just passing through or here for meetings".

"Neville's coming here?" mused Harry. "I guess the Headmaster thought he might be more of a target now, especially with … " he trailed off lost in thought regarding the Prophesy and how it could easily have been _Neville, the Boy-Who-Lived_. How different would Harry's life have been? His parents would have been alive and happy, and Sirius wouldn't have been sent to Azkaban, he wouldn't have had that deadened look in his eyes, he wouldn't have died. Then again, his parents could have been like the Longbottoms in St Mungo's, driven mad. 'No', Harry thought determinedly, 'not what ifs, not now'. Harry looked at the older man; the grey in his hair and tiredness in his face indicating the full moon would be coming soon. He wondered how a man who had gone through so much, the monthly transformations, the loss of his friends … no his family, how Remus could still give so much. Still fight, to hope for something better. If Remus could, Harry would try, but he could not help wonder if he would succeed, if he could carry on like Remus had.

Remus sat silently in his chair, watching, as Harry became lost in his thoughts again. He noted the messy black hair framing Harry's pale face and those green eyes, usually bright with laughter or curiosity, but now filled with pain, hidden behind glasses that had been broken once too many times. At least the clothes he now wore were the correct size, although hanging slightly loose on his thin body. Even so, Remus noticed that Harry had indeed grown taller, though he wasn't as tall as James had been in his Sixth year at school. 

He knew that bringing Harry back to Sirius' family home would bring back memories for the younger man, but hoped that Harry would not live in the past, that he could heal. Even so, Remus worried that no one would be able to help Harry, that the only ones who could heal his heart and soul were dead. 

Harry was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of Remus coughing, who then gave him an encouraging smile and handed him an envelope. He realised it contained his delayed OWL results. Taking the envelope with a trembling hand, he opened it and took out the parchment. Reading his results, Harry was filled with a mixture of excitement, disappointment, shock, and disbelief. Remus, who had watched the emotions flit across Harry's face shouted "Harry! Harry, how did you do? Did you pass? Is there anything wrong?"

Harry started to hand the parchment over to his one-time DADA Professor still feeling numb, but with small shivers running up his spine. He blinked twice and quickly snatched back the parchment before Remus could take it and stared at the results again, as if to imprint them onto his brain. With a small curl to his lips, he passed the parchment over to the worrying werewolf, who scanned the results, ignoring the Examination Board remarks.

__

OWL Results for Mr Harry James Potter:

_Astronomy_**EE**

_Care of Magical Creatures_**O**

_Charms_**O**

_Defence Against the Dark Arts_**O**

_Divination_**P**

_Herbology_**O**

_History of Magic_**A**

_Potions_**EE**

_Transfiguration_**EE**

Harry saw that Remus had read the results and raised eyes shining with happiness to meet his own. A huge grin split his face before Remus grabbed Harry into a one armed hug, pulling him off the bed. "Congratulations" he shouted, "They're fantastic results! What do you think?"

"I can't-, I-, I passed Potions, and Charms! I stuffed up in the practical exam so why, I can't believe it, I mean, I PASSED Potions. What is going on? I failed Divination, but that was a joke anyway, and of course DADA, I knew I aced that. You should have seen Umbridge's face. Oh, and Hagrid will be so pleased. I don't believe it; it's like … WOW! Remus! I passed!" Harry vaguely recognised that he was rambling and his mouth was beginning to hurt from the huge grin on his face. He couldn't stop his body shaking from excitement but **he passed**! It took a few minutes for Harry to calm down further, but he knew that for the rest of the evening a large smile would grace his lips as he remembered his results. Sobering slightly, he recalled his Potions grade. "I can't believe I actually passed Potions" he told Remus, "but I can't take NEWT level Potions. Snape won't let anyone without an Outstanding to take the subject. Professor McGonagall told me that I need it to become an Auror, so it looks like that's out of the question now".

Remus just smiled at Harry and told him "Harry, don't worry about Professor Snape just yet" and handed him what looked like his usual letter from Hogwarts. "I'm very proud at what you've achieved" he continued, his eyes shining with happiness, "and I hope you don't mind me saying, but I **_know_** that your parents and Sirius would have been proud of you whatever happened. They love … we love you, no matter what. Auror or no Auror" he finished with a bittersweet smile.

Harry opened the letter from Hogwarts and took out the parchment, reading the usual letter from Professor McGonagall. His brow creased in confusion before a slack look came across his features. He started mumbling under his breath, "I don't believe it! I know she said she'd help, but how did she? Wouldn't he have … does he know? The greasy git is going to hate me more than ever! I can't believe he'd agree, she can't have told him, surely?" Scanning the rest of the parchment, he absently noted the subjects he could take and the books required before asking Remus, "Did you know McGonagall got me into the Potions class?"

"I wasn't sure, no I didn't" he began, "but I bet she enjoyed doing it. I think she likes to wind up Professor Snape. Payback for when he was studying at Hogwarts I guess" smiled Remus. "Harry, it's getting late. We should grab some dinner. I'll wait downstairs, see what Molly made for dinner tonight" and with that, Remus left Harry's room.

After a few minutes Harry walked down the stairs to the kitchen, taking care not to wake up the portrait of Mrs Black as he passed her and found Remus putting two plates on the table. Remus had found two bottles of butterbeer and the two wizards sat down to eat. Harry had only ate just over half of his dinner and had been playing with the rest of his food when Remus suggested that he go visit his friends or go to sleep. "It's your choice. Your friends will still be here tomorrow, although Hermione may shout at you!"

Harry decided that he would say hello to his friends. After all, he hadn't seen them for over a month. Walking upto the room he had shared with Ron the previous summer he knocked once before opening the door and walking in. It was obvious that no one had told Ron or Hermione that he was arriving today because for a moment they just sat there gaping at him.

"Aren't you going to say hello?" he asked, smirking.

"HARRY! Sweet Merlin! When did you get here? How come nobody told us? Oh Harry how are you? Did the Dursleys treat you well this summer? Did they feed you? Look at you! How did you get here?" came from Hermione in a single breath before she grabbed him in a hug.

"Harry! Ignore Hermione here, too much energy. How are you mate? It's been ages since we saw you!" asked Ron.

Grunting quietly as Hermione impacted into him, Harry explained "I'm fine like I said in my letters. I'm eating and the Dursleys ignored me most of the time, which was perfectly fine with me. I've only just arrived really. Remus, Tonks and Moody picked me up and I've no idea why they didn't say anything".

The three friends spent the next hour or so talking about what had been going on in the month they had been apart. Hermione quizzed Harry on his OWL results while Ron snorted at her enthusiasm for schoolwork, even in the holidays. They both filled him in on what had been going on with the Order, which was not all that much since it seemed the members seemed to be more tight-lipped than before. Ron was discussing what this year's Quidditch team would be like which brought Harry's thought back to Sirius and he decided that he would prefer to go to sleep. Telling his friends that he was off to bed, Ron asked him "Harry? Where's your trunk and stuff? Shall we bring it up to our room?"

"Well my stuff's already in my room" replied Harry, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"I don't see it anywhere" said a confused Ron as he checked the room.

"Uh, Ron? I've got my own room this time. It's a couple of door's down from Remus' room", said Harry.

Ron shot Harry a look before asking, "Why have you got your own room? Hey! Does this mean I have this room to myself all summer? Great!" not noticing the glare he had received from Hermione.

"Sorry mate, but Remus told me Neville's coming here sometime soon and I guess he'll be sleeping in here with you".

"Neville?" frowned Hermione. "Why would he be coming? I didn't think he knew about the Order. Why would he have to stay here I wonder".

"Actually his parents were members of the Order the first time around so I guess he knows something about it. Besides, Dumbledore will explain anything else" Harry answered, but he privately thought that the Headmaster was taking extra precautions regarding the Prophesy as well as Neville's safety.

"How do you know that? And when did you start calling Lupin '_Remus_'?" questioned Ron.

"It doesn't really matter but Moody mentioned it. Besides, Remus asked me to", said Harry with a wave of his hand. 

"I have to share with Neville?" moaned Ron.

"It won't be so bad Ron. You can see who snores the loudest!" Hermione put in laughing.

"Hey! I don't snore that badly! Besides, how do you know?" Ron retorted, his face turning as red as his hair.

Leaving the other two to carry on arguing, Harry said his goodbyes and left for his own room. Once there, he decided to meditate for a bit and practice his Occumancy before settling down to sleep.

**********

The next morning Harry woke up with a scream on his lips, "No! Sirius!" Clenching his hands, he forced himself to take several deep breaths before getting up. Again, he had dreamt of that day in the Department of Mysteries and the Veil that had haunted him all summer. He got dressed in a red T-shirt and jeans and tried to do something to his hair, but it stayed it's usual messy black self. All in all, Harry was feeling very grumpy that morning. Knowing that it was unfair to take it out on his friends, he resolved to take a deep breath and count to ten if he felt as if he was going to lose his temper.

Harry had only taken a few steps into the kitchen when without warning he was pulled into a rib-crushing hug. When he was released, Harry took a step back and saw Mrs Weasley looking at him with a critical eye. "Harry dear, how lovely to see you. Oh my though, you look positively thin. Did those awful muggles not feed you at all" she started. "I'd have expected better, especially after that talk! I simply don't understand why the Headmaster insists you go there. Never mind that dear. Sit down here and I'll get you something to eat. We'll get you right as rain soon enough" and with that, she started pushing him towards the table.

Harry was unable to say a single word during Mrs Weasleys tirade. Deciding that it would be better to not say anything, after all, it was just his second day at Headquarters, Harry resolved to eat what he could and make a quick exit before Mrs Weasley tried to give him second helpings. 'Perhaps if I tried to have my meals when Remus was about, we could work together on it?' he thought with a small smile. 

**********

Having escaped breakfast, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were joined by Ginny in Ron's bedroom. Ron and Harry decided to play a game of chess while the two girls were discussing what seemed to be Ginny's summer homework. After Ron had beaten him twice, Harry decided to read for a while instead. As Ron challenged his sister to a game, Harry left the room only to return a few minutes later with one of his Advanced DADA books. Making himself comfortable on the spare bed, he started reading a chapter entitled '_Duelling Using Special Abilities_'. He had barely finished the first page before Ron called out to him.

"Yes Ron? What do you want?" he asked, slightly annoyed at the distraction.

"Mate! When did you turn into Hermione?" he asked.

"Ronald Weasley! What's wrong with doing some extra reading? It's not a crime, besides you might have done better in your exams if you read more" shouted Hermione.

Ron blushed at the rebuke but carried on regardless, "but this is Harry, not you. Come on mate. We can do something else; you don't have to sit there reading if you're bored of losing to me at chess. How about a game of Exploding Snap?"

"I don't think you should try to distract him Ron! He looks perfectly happy reading. Why don't you carry on playing with Ginny " admonished Hermione.

Taking a deep breath, Harry interrupted before Ron could argue back. "Look guys, I usually fit in some reading most days. If you want Ron, I'll play some Snap later, this afternoon perhaps?" he placated.

"Harry? When did you start reading schoolbooks anyway? You must admit, it's not something you're known for. It's more Hermiones area", asked Ginny.

"I don't recognise that book you're reading either. When did you get it?" added Hermione with a small frown.

"What is this, the Spanish Inquisition?" asked Harry with a small smile. Harry and Hermione laughed at the bewildered look on the two youngest Weasley's faces and said in unison, "muggle thing!"

"Actually, it's one of the books I got from the DA on my birthday. A 'thank you' present I think" Harry announced. 

"Oh, that's nice", said Ginny. Abandoning the chess game temporarily, she continued, "so what else did you get for your birthday Harry? I know Charlie was in a right state. He had Dad and Bill working on something, but they wouldn't tell me what he had got for you".

Harry blushed as he realised the trouble Charlie must had gone through, but he wasn't ready to tell Ginny and the others his suspicions about the necklace yet. Instead, he reached inside his T-shirt and pulled his necklace into view.

"Wow! Is that an actual dragon's tooth?" asked a wide-eyed Ron.

"Yup! Charlie's gift".

"What's that, there's something else…" came from Ginny as her sharp eyes caught sight of the gems. "Merlin! How did he manage that? Without breaking the tooth?"

"What? What are you talking about" quizzed an oblivious Ron, still sitting by the abandoned chess game.

"Honestly Ron! Why don't you come over and take a closer look" admonished Hermione as she peered at the necklace. "Can I take a closer look at the stones?" she asked.

"Sorry Hermione. I don't like to take it off" apologised Harry, "It's an emerald and a blue sapphire stone if that's what you want to know".

"It's a beautiful gift Harry. Charlie's never done something like that before though. I wonder if I could get one" pouted Ginny.

"It's not as bad as Bill's earring though! Mom won't have a fit over it either" laughed Ron.

"That's what Charlie and Bill said!" remembered Harry, thinking back to the small note that came with their gifts. Tilting his head at the frustrated look on Hermiones face, he said "What is it Hermione?"

"Oh! Sorry Harry, I was just thinking about something I read in a book about different stones and their properties" she started.

"Typical" muttered Ron.

Ignoring Rons comment, Hermione ploughed on in her lecture mode. "I can't quite remember, I'd have to look it up again in the Library. Emeralds are supposed to be able to reveal the truth and strengthen intuition. They're the stone of new beginnings and bring happiness to the bearer". Stopping to think, her brow furrowed, "I'm sorry, but I can't remember much about sapphires. I know that the various coloured sapphires have different magical qualities, but I don't remember anything concerning the blue sapphire. I'll look it up when we're back at Hogwarts Harry".

"Thank you Hermione. I didn't know that, but you don't need to put yourself out for me" said Harry gratefully.

"So what else did you get?" asked Hermione, Ginny nodding next to her. Harry had the uncomfortable feeling that he was about to be drawn into one of those 'girls talk' things and was not looking at all pleased about it. The eager looks on the girls' faces as well as Ron's curious look made him give in. With a sigh, he began to tell the three about his birthday. Ron was particularly amused at the reaction of the Dursleys while wincing sympathetically at Hagrid's unknown egg.

"Oh but Harry! What if it's something dangerous, or worse, something illegal! You could be expelled!" cried Hermione.

"Been there, almost done that" Harry replied with a smirk. Upon which Hermione smacked him on the head. "Hey!" he exclaimed.

"Don't make light of it, we were all worried about that last summer" she admonished.

Distracting her, Harry told Ron and Ginny about the Twin's present. In turn, the two Weasleys told their friends about _that_ howler Charlie had sent the Twins regarding their dragonskin jackets.

"Well, I don't think I'll be wearing mine for a while. The Twins seem to have got my size completely wrong. It's too big both ways, but at least its black!" said Harry with a sigh, missing the concerned looks the other three gave each other.

Before the silence had got too long and uncomfortable, Ginny tactfully asked about the new, and more importantly, fitting clothes Harry was wearing. Harry blushed as he mentioned what some of the members of the Order had done for him. When he told them about Tonk's vow to burn his old clothes, Ron and Hermione immediately asked whether they could be there for the "ceremonial burning" as Ron called it. 

"I think it was a wonderful and thoughtful idea Harry", said Hermione. "I hope Tonks and Professor Lupin made sure the Dursleys realise how terrible they are. I can't believe they had the nerve!" she sniffed.

Ron, it seemed, was still in shock after Harry had told them that McGonagall had also contributed to his new clothes and the remark she had made to Remus. It was with a pinch from his younger sister that he focused on Harry again. "Blimey Harry! You better be careful or Hermione here will get jealous! She won't be the teacher's pet anymore!" and with that he jumped up and ran away from Hermione who had turned bright red.

"Ron!"

"Sorry Hermione, but you know it's true" he apologised.

"Humph!"

Ron sat back down, but only after making sure he could see Hermione and was well out of reach of her arms. Ginny however, was scrutinising Harry. Feeling her gaze on him, Harry asked her what was wrong.

"I can tell you're hiding something Harry" she told him. "What is it?"

"It's nothing", he tried to evade and started to fiddle with the book in his hand.

"Don't nothing me Harry Potter!" replied Ginny, a steely glint in her brown eyes and looking reminiscent of her mother when she was interrogating the Twins. "There's something about the present that's bothering you. Out with it" she ordered.

"It's really not that big a deal. Besides, I'll never wear it or anything. Don't worry" he tried again.

"Harry! Can it really be that bad? Wasn't Professor Lupin one of the ones buying the clothes? Surely he can't have got anything that horrific" asked Hermione.

"At least it wasn't my mother mate, who know what you'd have ended up with" reassured Ron. "It can't be that bad".

"Oh, but it is, I mean, no offence Ron, Ginny, but what was your brother thinking!" responded Harry without thinking, before clapping a hand over his mouth and blushing.

Ginny looked amused at Harry's outburst whilst Ron had fixed the shorter boy with a stare. Hermione on the other hand looked caught between amusement and sympathy.

"What did my dear eldest brother do?" asked Ginny.

"Uh, I just remembered, I have to talk to, uh, Remus, that's right" replied Harry.

"Sit down!" shouted three voices. "Lupin's gone out, didn't you know that?" Ron pointed out.

"Do I get a choice?" Harry huffed.

"No!" he said. "Now what's so bad?"

"Billboughtmeapairofleathertrousers!" muttered Harry in one breath.

"Pardon? Can you repeat that for those of us who don't understand Harryspeak?" asked Hermione sarcastically.

"Bill brought me a pair of **leather trousers** for my birthday" repeated Harry, blushing.

Ginny and Hermione blinked before bursting into delighted giggles, tears forming in their eyes. Ron shook his head at the girls' strange behaviour before asking Harry, "are you sure?"

"Of course I'm bloody sure, they're in my trunk right now! Tonks even wanted me to put them on, in front of the Dursleys! I mean, why? Why leather? What was he thinking? Was he even thinking!"

Ginny and Hermione were still giggling, leaning against each other for support and the scathing look Harry threw at them just made them louder. Ron wasn't any better, patting Harry's back in support but the smirk on his face giving him away.

"Well, will we get to see them then?" choked out Hermione in-between giggles.

"No you flipping well won't! I'll look like a right prat for starters and well … NO! There is absolutely **NO WAY** anyone will get me to wear them" declared Harry. "I mean it!"

Ron, Hermione and Ginny looked at each other before bursting out with fresh laughter again. Luckily, Harry was saved from any more embarrassment by a loud knock on the door.

"Come in" he yelled above the laughter of the other three.

The door opened and Harry saw the pink-haired Tonks and standing next to her was a scared looking Neville. Tonks gestured Neville to join the others as she levitated his trunk into the room and set it at the foot of the bed that Harry was sat upon. Hermione and the youngest Weasley siblings were still chuckling as they greeted Neville and gestured for him and Tonks to take a seat. Tonks sat down next to Harry while Neville found a spare chair and moved it to the foot of the bed.

"Neville! How have you? Enjoying the holidays?" asked Ron.

"F-fine" stuttered Neville, slightly taken aback at the huge grins on their faces and the scowl on Harry's face. "Professor Lupin said that you were all staying here. I'm glad, I was worried that I'd be here all alone."

"I told you you'd be in good hands here Neville" laughed Tonks. "Why didn't you believe me? Don't I look trustworthy?" she pouted.

"Maybe it's the pink hair? The punk look I suppose" Harry mused.

"Well my dear Harry, what do you think would make me look more believable?" she asked, eyes glowing with mischief.

"Pigs nose and blonde curly hair?" came a suggestion from someone. In response, Tonks used her abilities to change her appearance as a wide-eyed Neville looked on.

"Spiky lime green hair and a pointed nose?"

"A long hooked nose and greasy black hair?"

"_Arrghhhh_!" screamed Tonks. Whacking Harry on the arm, she shouted "Urgh, what were you thinking of? Yuck, yuck, YUCK!" Running her hand through her previous spiky pink hair, she winced. "I think I need to wash my hair. Yuck!"

The five young witches and wizards laughed at the disgusted look on Tonks face as she realised that she had started to transform into a female Snape. Glaring at them, she got up from besides Harry and left the room, nose in the air, while laughter filled the room behind her. Harry began to feel slightly better for the first time since he had got up that morning. That was, until he heard the screams of Mrs Black drifting up into the room.

"What's that noise? Who's shouting?" asked a perplexed Neville, cringing slightly at Mrs Black's cries.

"Get one of the others to tell you", yelled Harry as he jumped up and ran out of the room, running down the stairs to the screaming portrait.

"_Scum! Mutants, freaks and mudbloods! BEFOULING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS! BEGONE! HALF-BREEDS, BLOOD TRAITORS!_"

The screeching of the portrait echoed in the hallway, ringing in Harry's head as he reached the source. It looked like Tonks had tripped over the large troll's leg as she returned to the kitchen, thus awakening Mrs Black. She was aided by Remus, both currently trying to close the moth-eaten curtains. For the first time that summer, Harry again came face to face with the life sized, drooling old woman wearing a black cap. As soon as the Mrs Black saw Harry she stopped screaming, her eyes popping out and instead she let out a horrible cackle. 

"_So it was YOU, the precious godson of my abomination, who finally got rid of him! HA HA HA, the blood traitor dead!_"

He ignored Remus who was desperately trying to stop the cries of the portrait. Harry saw red! "HOW DARE YOU! YOU- YOU … SHUT UP YOU STUPID OLD COW! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING"

"_DO YOU DENY IT? IT'S YOUR FAULT! WALKING AROUND IN THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS! THE BLOOD TRAITOR LET YOU STAY BUT I'M GLAD HE'S GONE, HE WAS NOTHING BUT A FILTHY ABOMINATION! SHAME OF MY FLESH!_"

"SHUT UP YOU HORRIBLE HAG! YOU DIDN'T EVEN GET TO KNOW SIRIUS! HE HATED YOU AND WITH DAMN GOOD REASON! LOOK AT YOU, YOU DISGUST ME. SIRIUS WAS ONE OF THE FINEST MEN I EVER KNEW, SO SHUT UP! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE HIS MOTHER!" 

"_HE WAS NOTHING BUT A BLOOD TRAITOR! HE WAS WORSE THAN THOSE FILTHY MUDBLOODS AND FREAKS HE INVITED INTO MY HOUSE! HE DESERVED TO DIE AND IT WAS MY PUREBLOODED LOYAL NIECE BELLATRIX WHO DID IT! SHE DESERVES THE NAME OF BLACK UNLIKE THAT FILTH!_"

Harry's eyes were wide open as he stared incredulously at the insane insults of Mrs Black. He could feel the pounding of blood and his hand twitched, longing to grab his wand and curse her, not that it would do anything. Remus and Tonks stood frozen, still holding onto the mouldy curtain. He was vaguely aware of the presence of his friends and a couple of members of the Order behind him, watching the argument in shocked silence.

"HE WAS YOUR SON!" screamed Harry, not wanting to understand the hatred she held for his dear godfather. "YOU MUST HAVE LOVED HIM!"

"_HA! I CAST HIM OUT OF THE FAMILY, HE WAS NO LONGER A MEMBER WHEN HE LEFT TO JOIN YOUR FILTHY FATHER AND HIS MUDBLOOD FRIENDS AND FREAKS! I CANNOT THANK YOU FOR RIDDING THE WORLD OF HIM!_"

Harry stood shaking from pure fury, his green eyes blazing with a fiery determination and raw power. He was dimly aware of someone putting his or her hand on his shoulder, trying to push him away from the portrait, but he angrily shrugged it off. The silence in the hallway was in itself deafening, but all present heard Harry count to ten under his breath. In a cold tone of voice, Harry said to himself "_Well, that didn't work_" and stalked off down the stairs at the end of the hallway.

The adults and teenagers in the hallway looked at each other, confusion, sympathy, and shock on their faces after Harry left, but were quickly brought out of it by the insane laughing emanating from the portrait. Tonks and Remus tried to close the curtains again when the sound of determined steps reached their ears. They turned to see Harry standing in the middle of the hallway, a fierce light shining in his eyes, his face as cold as stone. Hermione and Ginny gasped a mixture of shock and fear at what he was holding. What he might do.

"Harry! Don't!" someone yelled, but Harry seemed not to have heard. Harry knew what he had to do, and he was going to get his revenge for Sirius.

**********

Thanks for reading and reviewing. I wasn't actually expecting to get this out as fast as I did, but the reviews just made me want to write, so thanks you so much! Will start on the third chapter tomorrow.

Actually, the original Chapter 2 was too long by far, so I decided to cut it in half and stop at this point in the story. Don't hurt me for ending it on a cliffhanger. I apologise if it seems that the story is going slowly, but I promise that the next chapter will be the last 'boring' one and we'll meet the main characters of the story. The first three chapters are setting the groundwork for various ideals and situations in the story and will be important later. There are some hints and clues to what may happen later scattered in these chapters. I don't think I've indicated the ship pairings yet, so feel free to guess! If you have any questions so far, e-mail or review and if I can I'll answer them. Any ideas you have are also welcome!

Thanks to **pablo5280 **and **serebii **for reviewing!

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Bec - Thanks for being my first reviewer! Yay! The dragon's tooth is symbolic of something and Harry will always wear it, but it isn't an ordinary necklace. Harry won't be wearing the pants for his mother, but that doesn't mean she won't be seeing them. Harry is not at all keen on the trousers and will swear never to wear them, but I suppose we'll see! *smirks* The contacts are also symbolic. 

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Firesword - Oh my god! You like it? I love yours! It's what got me started! 

Thanks for the comments. I'm trying hard, but I think I'll always be somewhat unsure of myself, especially since my English GCSE teacher told me that I'd definitely fail my exams (but I got an A and a B before I gave it up! So 'up hers!'). 

I **love **Tonks, I think she's the most real female so far and she's so much fun. It's a pity she's not going to be around much after the next chapter, but I promise to fit her in, and she'll always have a way with her limbs! I have no idea what came over me with the leather, but it can look good, and it can look tacky. I have a wicked plan for the leathers though! Nevertheless, I _must_ repeat, Harry does not like the trousers!

The 'empty' box from Fred and George will be very important, and not only for the pranks they contain. The Twin's have added some surprises to it, which you'll find out later in the story. 

All I'll say is that Harry's conversation with Remus was very important, glad you liked the intensity. It wasn't there in my notes, it just appeared as I wrote it, and I was just as surprised at the intensity as well, but I think it came out great. I love long reviews, I don't mind at all. Love your new fic, even if I'm slightly confused!

I apologise in advance for any mistakes, spelling, grammatical or otherwise. It is all my fault since this is unbeta'd. Please **review (long is good!) **and send any helpful comments, all will be appreciated. Any flames, however, will be, in all honesty, disregarded. Thank you for reading!

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SStar


	3. Four Weeks and a Full Moon

Comments: e-mail at sstar_luna@yahoo.co.uk or Review button below.

Rating: PG-13 for now, may change later. Will be slash later in the story: HP/?, JP/LE

Spoilers: Books 1-5. Do not read unless you have FINISHED _The Order of the Phoenix_.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot. All Harry Potter™ characters and settings are the sole intellectual property of JK Rowling, Warner Bros. and various others who all aren't connected to me in any way. No money is being made with this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

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Chapter 3: Four Weeks and a Full Moon

Harry tuned out the noise made by the gathering people in the hallway. His attention rested solely on the life-sized portrait of Mrs Black who was still laughing, having not noticed the arrival of Harry. He gestured to Remus, who walked up to Harry with a wary look.

"_Remus_" began Harry in an urgent whisper. He looked at the older man, his green eyes burning with fire, pleading with curious amber eyes. "Do you trust me?" Remus scrutinised Harry before nodding. "Then I need you to do something for me" and whispered what he needed Remus to do in his ear. Remus nodded once to show his acceptance and moved so that he was directly in front of the laughing Mrs Black. A grim, satisfied smile graced Remus' face before he raised his wand, casting a spell on the portrait before Mrs Black realised anything was awry. The small group of people looked between the stone faced Boy-Who-Lived, a smiling Remus, and a confused Mrs Black. There was a moment of silence before the screams of Mrs Black were heard again. 

"_HA! IS THAT ALL YOU CAN DO? FILTHY HALF-BREED! CAN'T EVEN CAST A SPELL! YOU CAN'T REMOVE ME FROM THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS! PATHETIC CREATURE!_"

All eyes turned to look at the man in question, who just raised his eyebrow at the portrait. Confused stares followed him as he nodded to Harry and walked away. In turn, Harry moved to stand in front of the portrait once more, hiding the object in his hand behind his body. Wide eyes filled with fear however, were locked on the item, torn between running away from Harry or watching with a morbid curiosity as to what was going to happen.

"_SO THE HALFBLOOD-WHO-KILLED HAS RETURNED! READY TO HEAR MORE TRUTHS?_"

"Actually, my parents were a witch and a wizard, so I believe that makes me a pureblood, of the Potter line" he drawled lazily as several mouths fell open in amazement. "You seem to be rather ignorant about bloodlines" commented Harry.

"_SO WHAT! YOU STILL BEFOUL THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS! YOU ARE MERELY ANOTHER BLOOD TRAITOR, LIKE THAT ABOMINATION YOU GOT RID OFF! HOPEFULLY YOU'LL GO THE SAME WAY!_"

"Maybe I will, maybe I won't. Better to be a '_blood traitor_' than to follow Voldemort. It won't matter to you anyway, you're still dead and soon no longer able to worry about who's a blood traitor or not" replied Harry.

"_YOU CAN'T GET RID OF ME! THAT TRAITOR TRIED MANY TIMES AND SO DID THE REST OF THE SCUM IN THIS HOUSE! THERE ARE TOO MANY CHARMS ON THIS FRAME. YOU'LL NEVER GET ME OFF THE WALL! HA HA HA!_"

"Famous last words" commented Harry as he casually held the knife he had brought from the kitchen in plain view of Mrs Black. He stepped up to the portrait and held the knife against the frame, occasionally tapping. Mrs Black's cries had stopped and she looked on confused until she realised what Harry meant to do. She moved, as if to leave and find safety in another frame, but found to her horror that she couldn't leave.

"Can't cast spells you say? I do believe the one I cast was rather effective, don't you think so Harry?" remarked Remus, who startled Tonks as he came up from behind her, carrying a large chair. Placing the chair in front of the portrait, he moved to stand next to Harry. "You deserve this. You made Sirius' life a misery for too many years, and now you're interfering with our work and our lives. This time it stops!" he growled.

"_WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME, I FORBID IT!_"

"Shut up you horrible hag! You and most of your _pureblooded_ idiotic family thought so highly of themselves? Look at what's happened, they're all dead! The last and best Black is dead" hissed Harry, tears in his eyes as he remembered Sirius. 

"Sirius was a good man, someone who went to hell and came out fighting at the other end. He was a man who loved, he was someone worth loving! What are you, but a reminder of the past that should be burnt and forgotten. Your family, _your pureblooded family_ are all **dead**, and the rest have marked their lives away to a madman, who will end up killing them all! You deserve everything you get. You looked down on Sirius, on muggles and muggle-borns, well SURPRISE! Magic isn't everything! You are no better than other people just because your blood is '_pure_'!" Harry spat. "After all, I'm going to get rid of you using a **muggle** knife! What a pathetic way to end, isn't it?" he finished with a cold smile at the shocked woman in the fame.

With a quick look at Remus, he adjusted the grip on the sharp knife and stabbed it into the painting, resting just inside the bottom left corner of the frame. Pausing to savour the moment and feeling the blood pounding in his veins, Harry grit his teeth before dragging the knife across the bottom of the frame. The knife encountered little resistance, cutting through the paper as if it wasn't there. The cries and howls of rage filled the hallway and from the direction of Harry's back, joyful shouts were heard. With the help of Remus, Harry cut the picture of Mrs Black away from the frame, using the chair to gain height when he reached the top of the frame. As he made his way back down the side, he paused, holding the knife still, ready to cut the last section.

"This is where we part ways. You are no longer welcome here" he pronounced, and jerked his arm, the knife moving easily. Grabbing the painting, he rolled it up and handed it to Remus along with the knife. After receiving a nod, Harry turned around, planning to return to his room and not come out for several days. 

To his surprise and horror, he realised that there was a small group watching him. Yes, he had known there were people there, but he had only thought it to be two or three. Not Ron, or Hermione, or any of the others standing there watching him, waiting for something, anything. Panicked green eyes looked to see if he could push through, but Harry quickly realised that there was no way to do so. As the first of many congratulations and questions were offered, Harry turned around and looked at Tonks in desperation. Understanding what he wanted, she pointed her wand as the crowd and told them to move away so they could make their way upstairs or she'd hex them.

"Look, I'm sorry, but I really don't want to talk about it right now. I just need to be alone for a while. Please" he begged. Following Tonks, he quickly passed the confused faces and hurried up the stairs until he reached the door to his room. "Thank you Tonks" he said, smiling in relief. "Could you tell Remus I need some time?"

"Of course!" and with no warning she grabbed him in a fierce hug. "I should thank you, Sirius would be proud!" she sniffed. Seeing his face, she quickly went on before he could disappear, "He really wanted to get rid of her and now you did it. He's probably kicking himself somewhere because he didn't think of cutting her off the wall! Besides, now I can trip over safely, knowing the old bat's not going to be screaming at me anymore!" Tonks finished with a small laugh.

With a small knowing smile, Harry just whispered "Thanks Tonks" before entering his room, closing the door shut behind him.

**********

"Wake Up! Harry, get up!"

Several minutes later, there was another knock on the door. "HARRY! Are you up yet?"

"Haarrrryyyy!"

Harry turned in his sleep, he could hear noises, but he disregarded them. For the last few nights, Harry had actually managed to sleep through the entire night. No nightmares, no reliving past events, his scar hadn't even burned once. It was bliss. Harry wasn't sure what had temporarily stopped the nightmares, but he wasn't about to complain. Remus had commented that he looked far better than he had been recently. Though still paler and thinner than normal, he had lost the purple marks under his eyes and had been eating slightly more. Ever since the confrontation with the portrait of Mrs Black, Harry had felt much better about himself. That was not to say he still wasn't suffering from the events his Fifth Year, or worrying about the Prophesy and what he might have to do. They were still there, but Harry had put them to the side for a few days.

For the last few days, ever since the 'Event' as he had taken to calling it, Harry had tried to avoid the majority of the houses' visitors, not wanting to discuss what he had said or receive the congratulations of getting that _thing_ off the wall. Nor did he want to talk about what she had said regarding his godfather's death. The only people he saw regularly were Remus and Tonks. He had talked to Ron and Hermione only the day before, but the conversation had been strange, stilted. No doubt, they had wanted to talk about what had happened, but Harry had made it clear that he was not willing. Thankfully, his friends had not pushed the issue this time, but he had wondered if he would be so lucky next time. He had also spoken to Moody once in the kitchen, but after receiving several curious glances from whispering Order members, Harry had once again retreated to his room.

"Harry Potter! If you don't get out of bed **right now**, I swear I'll … actually, I'm not sure, but get up! We're getting your Hogwarts stuff from Diagon Alley today" shouted Remus at the figure in the bed. Harry just pulled the pillow over his head and ignored the frustrated werewolf who was muttering under his breath. "Of all the … I don't believe it, how can he still sleep? Even James would have got up by now. He's doing a bloody Padfoot on me, wants to drive me crazy! Like I don't have enough grey hairs already! Grrr! That's it!" he exclaimed, and pulled the covers off the sleeping teenager.

"Bugger off!"

"Sorry, I don't think of you that way Harry" he chuckled.

"Go away!"

"No!"

"Yes"

"No!"

"Yes"

"No!"

"No"

"Yes! What! Now you're going to get it", shouted Remus. Before he could attack the sleeping teenager, Harry had jumped out of bed and was standing on the opposite side of the bed. "Oh, _now_ he decides to get up! After he makes me shout at him for _half a bloody hour_!" muttered Remus in a deeply sarcastic voice.

"Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness you know" Harry lightly commented, watching Remus warily.

"You shouldn't tease a werewolf you know"

"I know" 

"You're an annoying brat today aren't you?"

"I know"

"Arrghhh! That's it. I'm off! You are being absolutely unbelievable today and I hate you!" Remus exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

"Look me in the eye and say that again!" challenged Harry with a smirk on his face.

Remus turned around and glared at Harry. Seeing him smirk, he felt a tug on his lips. He tried to fight it, but unfortunately Harry saw the movement and smiled at him, green eyes sparkling with mischief. Remus gave in and let the smile grow. "You're a brat you know? Your father and Sirius used to do that to me when we were at school" he remembered, shaking his head. "Though it usually took both of them, you've got them beat!"

"Thanks. I'll take it as a compliment" said Harry as he walked out of his room to go to the bathroom.

"It wasn't meant to be!" shouted Remus after his retreating back. Shaking his head, Remus privately thought it was wonderful to see Harry lighten up, even if it ended up only being for a few days. Feeling more light hearted than normal, Remus decided that he would get some revenge.

**********

"REMUS!!!!!"

Harry's shout was heard in the kitchen where Remus had sat down for breakfast. Placating Molly by having a couple of pieces of toast with his morning coffee, Remus lifted his head to meet several eyes that were staring at him. 

"What did you do Wolf-man?" asked Tonks.

"He sounded quite pissed off" remarked Ron.

"Ronald Weasley! Mind your language!" his mother reprimanded, while Tonks and Remus fought to hide their smiles. Hermione rolled her eyes before fixing Remus with her 'McGonagall Look'. Remus shivered, remembering the glare all too well, and wondered whether Hermione had practised in front of the mirror until she perfected it.

"Yes Hermione?"

"Professor, what did you do? You didn't do anything to make him … you know?" she asked.

"No, I don't know 'you know'" evaded Remus.

"He's not going to be in a temper today, will he? I mean, what with going to Diagon Alley" she worried.

"Perhaps" he answered with a wicked glint in his eyes.

"Wolf-man! What have you done?" quizzed a blonde-haired Tonks. "You got that look!"

Plastering an innocent expression on his face, Remus replied with a simple "Nothing".

"Oh come on Remus, you really want to tell us", she pleaded. "Do you want me to go shopping with Harry without knowing why he's going to be glaring at you all day? _Please_?"

Remus looked around and saw five curious faces watching him, waiting for an explanation. He was about to tell them what had happened this morning when the kitchen door slammed open. Turning around to face the door, they saw a red faced Harry standing in the doorway. Harry glared at him, ignoring the others sat at the table, or more likely, not noticing them. Remus finally let the smirk appear on his face, "Payback's a bitch, isn't it Harry?" he asked. 

Focusing most of his attention on the irate teenager, Remus was only dimly aware of the scandalised gasps from Molly and Hermione, and the laughter from Tonks, Ron, and Ginny. Neville on the other hand, was looking fearfully between his ex-Professor and roommate. 

Harry felt his teeth ground against each other. He couldn't believe Remus, no actually he could. He knew better than most that underneath the serious façade lay a mischievous personality, but this had gone too far. "Yes I suppose she can be, but as you can see" started Harry, waving his hand across his body "I seem to have found something to wear … no thanks to you!"

"Oh, but Harry! I thought my choice of outfit was, how shall I put it, quite inspiring!" exclaimed Remus.

With his hands on his hips, Harry frowned. "Inspiring? What the hell are you on Remus? Has Snape done something to your potion this time around?"

"Nope" replied Remus, knowing he was winding Harry up even more, but he thought it was well deserved for the grief he had been put through earlier that morning. With an amused glance at the captivated audience, he turned his attention back to Harry, whose face was turning a deeper shade of red.

"Then what in the name of Merlin were you thinking when you left me those bloody leather trousers to wear today!" he fumed, "to Diagon Alley of all places. I can't believe you took _every_ single piece of clothing I had, apart from those trousers and this shirt! Even the clothes the Dursleys gave me! Are you MAD Remus?"

"No, quite the opposite" replied a grinning werewolf. "I was wondering if I'd be able to get you to wear them, but alas, you found those jeans from somewhere. Where did you find them, I thought I'd grabbed all of your clothes".

Ignoring the question, Harry instead asked, "Is this about this morning? Payback?"

"Yes. Never try to outsmart a Maurader"

"Aren't I immune, you know? Son of a Marauder?"

"Maybe"

"_Grrr!_"

"Careful there Harry, I'm the wolf!"

Harry looked at the smiling werewolf, eyes bright with amusement, even if it _was_ aimed at him, and he decided that it was worth the embarrassment to see him happy, if only for a while. With a huff, Harry stalked over to the kitchen table and sat down across from Remus and next to Tonks. "You better watch out Remus" he hissed so that only Tonks and Remus could hear what he said, "I may get my revenge yet". In a louder voice, he complained "What IS it with everybody and those leather bloody trousers! You're all mad! I already said I'm not going to wear them, so leave off!"

Harry grabbed a piece of toast and got up, leaving the kitchen that was filled with his friends' laughter and smiled softly at the sound. With a parting shot he shouted, "Hey Wolf-man, are you ready yet? I've got to get my school stuff sometime today you know!" and ran back to his room to grab his cloak and moneybag.

**********

Harry looked around the interior of the Leaky Cauldron, a place he had not seen for some time, before returning his attention to his friends. Remus was the last to appear from the fireplace and as soon as he dusted off his robes, the group made their way to the back of the pub. Mrs Weasley tapped the third brick from the left above the dustbin and Harry watched as the archway opened, finally revealing Diagon Alley. 

Compared to the few times Harry had been there, Diagon Alley did not seem quite as busy as it usually was. Perhaps it was because Harry normally bought his school supplies near the end of the summer holidays. This time, they were buying their supplies in the middle of August, the belief being that Voldemort would not anticipate Harry appearing in public this early. Harry could see the lines of tension on Mrs Weasley's face as well as several other shoppers. He supposed that now the return of Voldemort was public, people were beginning to suspect Dark Wizards of being anywhere and everywhere. Harry had been slightly disgruntled not to be doing his shopping with Ron and Hermione, but perked up when he realised his guards would be Remus and Tonks. If there was an attack while they were shopping, the older two were supposed to get Harry to safety. Harry did not want to tempt fate and so shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Anything wrong dear?" asked a worried Mrs Weasley.

"Sorry. No, nothing. Just shaking the marbles about" Harry answered.

Mrs Weasley gave Harry another worried look, but Harry had become used to them by now and so shrugged it off. Instead, he waved off his friends. Hestia Jones accompanied his best friends as they walked off in the direction of _Flourish and Blotts_, on the insistence of Hermione. Neville and Ginny followed Mrs Weasley whose first visit was _Ollivanders_, presumably to get a new wand for Neville. Harry remembered that Neville's old wand had been broken the night Sirius … anyway, Harry believed that Neville's wand-work would greatly improve this coming year, now that he would get a wand that was attuned to him rather than his father.

Harry's first stop was Gringotts, where Bill Weasley met the three shoppers. Tonks remained in the marble hall with the red-haired wizard while Harry and Remus followed a goblin to the carts. When they had reached Harry's vault Remus gave a small start, but upon being questioned, he replied that it was nothing just old memories. Harry filled his moneybag with Galleons and they returned to the cart, both wizards enjoying the wild ride back to the surface. Making their way back to Tonks, Harry noticed that she was still talking to Bill.

"So Harry! I hear you had an eventful morning?" asked Bill, smirking.

Not wanting to be rude, Harry smiled pleasantly. "Yes I did, but Remus didn't manage to get me in the end, but I **_will_** be getting revenge!" 

"I've heard about your promise. I'm hurt" he sniffed, affecting a hurt tone.

"Bill! Really, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. It's a nice gift and all, but … I just don't think … well, it's just not. Merlin! Look, sorry, I've got to go! Got lots of shopping to do and Remus says we shouldn't stay longer than necessary. Gotta run! See you!" he replied, and with that he dragged a chuckling Remus out of the door and back into Diagon Alley. He never saw Bill wink at Tonks, who had hurried out after them.

"Of all the things! I can't believe it. Someone out there really does not like me! Remus! What was I supposed to say?" panicked Harry as they walked towards _Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions_. "Thanks so much for going to the trouble of getting me a present, but what made you think I would, or even **could**, wear leather trousers!" he said sarcastically. "It's not as if I'd look any good wearing them!" he said as he entered the shop.

"Well Sir, we can try and doing something about that for you? How can I help you dear?" asked Madam Malkin, who had obviously heard the tail end of Harry's rant. 

Taking pity on the embarrassed teenager, Remus informed the witch that Harry was in need of a new set of school robes and maybe some everyday robes or clothes. Tonks was browsing in the shop while Remus and Harry sorted out the clothes and payment. Both wizards missed the look of delight on Tonks face as she found something, and soon enough, the clothes they had purchased were bundled up and the trio left the store. 

Next Harry made the usual stops to buy quills, inks, and parchments before visiting the apothecary's. Harry had to buy refills for all the basic potion ingredients as well as buying those used in NEWT level potions. After they had left the store, Remus informed Harry that they should visit the Opticians. Harry was silent as he followed Tonks, remembering that this was Sirius' final gift to him. He was deep in thought when he was suddenly jerked back by the high pitched chattering of a young witch. Looking around he found himself in the store and quickly realised the witch was an employee, although currently she was more interested in the Boy-Who-Lived rather than the potential customer. Scowling, he asked "excuse me miss, but I have an open appointment and I'd like to be seen as soon as possible. I have other things to be getting on with today, so if you don't mind?"

The young witch blustered before leaving to presumably get the Healer. Half an hour later, Harry left the store. He now had his old glasses as well as two new pairs with a more accurate prescription. Tonks had insisted that he should get black rectangular frames, while Remus had argued that the gold oval frames would suit him better. Wanting to avoid taking sides, Harry took both frames as well as a pair of clear contact lenses. Luckily they were magical, and so could be worn for much longer, and were spelled to clean themselves automatically. Useful since Harry could not perform magic during the holidays. 

The next stop for the three was the bookstore, _Flourish and Blotts_. Remus left to find _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6 by Miranda Goshawk_ as well as Harry's coursebook for Care of Magical Creatures and Potions. Tonks went off in search for the books required for NEWT level Transfiguration and Charms. Harry instead headed for the DADA titles. He quickly located the coursebook for that year and started to browse the titles, looking for anything that interested him. Finding a book that was aimed at using Transfiguration during duelling, Harry found his _guards_ and paid for the books. 

"Well that's it. Have you got everything Harry?" asked Tonks, as she checked the street for any suspicious behaviour.

"Actually, I've almost spent my money already so I need to go back to Gringotts. I was also thinking of getting a second wand? You know, a duelling wand" he said, looking at Remus. 

Luckily, Remus understood what Harry was referring to and agreed. They quickly agreed to split up. Tonks returned to Gringotts with Harry's key saying she would meet them at the wand-makers, while Harry and Remus made their way to _Ollivanders_. Once the three had completed their purchases, they walked over to _Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes_, Fred and George's newly opened shop. After spending a few minutes talking to the Twins and checking the others had flooed back safely, Harry managed to drag Remus away from one of the prank displays and they flooed back to Grimmald Place.

**********

Harry was pacing his room. It had only been a couple of days since his trip to Diagon Alley and he had unwrapped all of his new purchases. To his delight, Harry found that the new glasses (he was currently wearing the ones Tonks had insisted on) meant he no longer had to squint to see things in the distance and his eyes did not tire so quickly when reading. To his horror, he found that Tonks had managed to slip in a surprise as well. It seemed that she had bought him a wide leather belt with a platinum snake buckle. 'It's a nice thing' Harry thought, considering all his belts were too large having previously belonged to the male Dursleys, but for the note attached to it:

__

Dear Harry,

Saw this when shopping, thought you could use it. **Would go fantastically with those killer leather pants!** When do I get to see you in them?

Love, Tonks

'_Never_ if I get a bloody choice' Harry had thought viciously. 'Everyone's mad! Off their rocker. Hasn't it occurred to anyone I'd look stupid wearing leather trousers?'

It was the full moon tonight, and Harry had been feeling nervous all day. Remus had looked more and more tired as he had neared the full moon. Remus had taken the Wolfsbane Potion about an hour ago before retiring to his room, waiting for the moon to rise. 

As Harry paced, his mind raced, filled with arguments and counter-arguments. _It was stupid, foolhardy … I would be a friend … It was my fault … Remus would kill me … If not literally tonight, then when he realised the full consequences of what I'd done … I would be unprotected … It was dangerous … I want to help, in any way I can … Help ease the pain, the loneliness. _

Although the positives were vastly outnumbered by the negatives, Harry felt they carried more weight to them. He would be there for his friend. Remus had taken the Potion all week, so as he had explained in Harry's third year, he would keep his human mind after he transformed, he would be a harmless wolf. Harry would wait until the moon had risen, and check the Potion had definitely worked before entering the room. Snape may be a git, but he knows how to make potions, Harry admitted. 'It's my fault that Remus doesn't have anyone anymore. It's the least I could do for him' he rationalised to himself.

A little more than an hour later, Harry found himself outside Remus' room. He listened for signs of the werewolf, but he heard nothing. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door, waiting to hear a response of sorts and after a moment, he heard a small whine from the other side of the door. Harry had his hand on the doorknob, when a voice made him jump.

"**Harry**! What in the name of Merlin do you think you are doing!" exclaimed Tonks. 

"Shhh! Keep it down! We don't need to tell the entire house" he hissed back.

"I swear, if you don't tell me what you were going to do. No scratch that! I know what you were about to do! What I don't understand is why? What were you thinking Harry?" asked Tonks, her voice taut with suppressed anger. "If you don't tell me now, I'll hex you!"

"Tonks! Calm down!" Harry replied, his hands in the air trying to placate the irate witch. "Look, it's Remus in there. He took the Potion all week. He's not dangerous. I just want to keep him company tonight, so he has a friend there. It's my fault…" his voice cracking as he thought about Sirius. "It's my fault he's got to do it alone now. I won't be able to stay with him when I'm at Hogwarts. I just wanted … I need him to know that he's not alone. He has to know. I want to be there. I know he's safe, it's not the werewolf in that room, it's just Remus. You have to trust me" finished Harry, begging Tonks to understand.

Tonks still looked angry, but her eyes had softened as she listened to Harry. "But Harry, for starters, what if something went wrong? You're not supposed to perform magic. You know that. How would you defend yourself from the wolf?"

"It's Remus in there. He wouldn't do anything to me!" Harry retorted.

"Fine, then what about Remus? Did you even ask him?" she asked.

"Well … **_no_**. What do you think he would have said? _No_. I didn't want him to know; he thinks its something he should suffer alone. The only people who've ever been with him were my Dad, Sirius, and that rat-traitor!" Pausing to take a deep breath, Harry continued, "Yes, I'm taking a risk, but it's my decision to make. I know what I'm getting into, and if it seemed like Remus would bite me, I'd never have considered this! He's one of the kindest, gentlest and loving men I know, so what if he's a bit hairy once a month! He's letting the stereotypes about werewolves rule his life and he shouldn't. He should be able to have his friends with him!"

"He's not going to like it" stated Tonks.

"I know, but I hope he understands why I need to do it, and why he needs it" said Harry sadly.

"Well, considering he probably heard us arguing through the door, I would expect so" she said. Taking her wand, she disabled the wards on the room before casting _Alohomora_ on the lock. Placing her hand on the doorknob, she asked a stupefied Harry, "Coming?"

"Wha- what? You're going in?" he questioned.

Tonks gave a small chuckle. "Did you honestly think I was going to let you in without any protection of some sort. Even if Remus were safe, he'd skin me if I just let you go ahead. He probably will anyway for good measure, and then send both of us to St Mungos! Besides you made a good point, he's our friend, and we should support each other, through the highs and lows, even if it's once every four weeks".

Tonks cautiously opened the door, ready to slam it shut if necessary, her wand ready in her other hand. Peeking through the gap, she noticed Remus sitting on his haunches in front of the door. Harry followed her in and shut the door behind him. Looking at the wolf she sighed, "You heard it all didn't you Remus?"

Her only answer was the wolf tilting his head. Slowly, as if Remus did not want to startle the humans in the room, he got up onto his paws and took a couple of steps towards them before stopping. Nose in the air, he seemed to sniff the air. Once he had made sure of their scents, he walked back over to lie in front of the fireplace, his head resting on his front paws, the amber eyes of the wolf reflecting the dance of the flames.

"You're not best pleased with us are you Moony?" asked Harry, deciding to stay where he was standing for the time being. Remus gave him a look that seemed to say _You got that right_! 

"Look Remus", began Harry "I know you don't like this, but let us help you. We want to be here. You wouldn't hurt us, we know that, do you? Do you trust yourself enough?"

Remus stared at them with defeated eyes and snorted through his snout as if defeated. Harry and Tonks took this to be an acceptance of sorts and approached the fire. Settling down next to the wolf, Harry took the opportunity to examine Moony. He had light-brown fur covering his body and tail, but there were areas of grey, much like Remus' hair Harry mused. Amber eyes reflected the fire, and the long jaws were closed thankfully, hiding the sharp teeth that Harry knew to be there. 

Harry slowly extended a hand towards Moony while Tonks watched on warily. Seeing that Moony was not going to attack ('_Of course not, it's Remus in there!_' Harry berated himself) he scratched behind the wolf's ear. Obviously, Moony liked the sensations because he started wagging his tail and both Harry and Tonks smiled in relief. In response, Moony gave them a wolfish grin as Tonks started to stroked his back. 

"You know" she commented lightly, "he's really enjoying this. Mind you he should! It's not everyday you get two young people like us, touching you up Remus! Enjoy it while it lasts! Cause it ain't happening when you're human again Wolf-man!"

As the night progressed, Harry and Tonks talked about many things, told jokes and Harry recounted his first four years at Hogwarts and his many adventures with Ron and Hermione for his companions. Although Moony was unable to talk, he expressed his thoughts and feelings in many other ways, although Harry felt that Moony licking his face had gone a bit too far! Eventually, all three began to tire and so Harry and Tonks lay down on Remus' bed, while Moony curled up at their feet. Harry and Tonks chatted for a while longer after Moony fell asleep. 

Just before sleep claimed them, Harry whispered to the Metamorphagus, "You know Tonks, I wish you could have been my older sister. I mean, after all, you've met Dudley and well, he's not really brother material. It would be nice you know. I'm sorry, I don't mean to … I'm not-, you don't have to say anything. I understand if you don't…"

Tonks smiled softly at the younger wizard. "Yes, I know what you're saying. Dudley is a bully isn't he? Seriously though, I think you'd have made a great older brother. You'd be protective enough and if you forget about the whole Voldemort wanting to kill you deal, well life would be fun. You'd have had a great time playing with a younger brother or sister even. It's a pity you can't". 

Harry remained silent so she carried on. "If you want, you can be my 'little Bro'. I don't mind at all, in fact, it could be fun! I'd get to tease you, and make fun of you and I'd get away with it because you wouldn't curse your older sister, now would you?" she chuckled.

"Can I change my mind?" wondered Harry, a small smile on his lips.

"Nope, no can do. You're my little Bro! The pain in my side!" she laughed. "Hey! I can tease you mercilessly about those trousers now! Oh, oh, and I can tell anyone you fancy all your little secrets! Or if someone goes out with you, I can threaten them to treat you right or I'll hex them so hard they'll spend the week with Pomfry! I can't wait!"

Harry grinned, understanding what Tonks was really saying. "Thanks Sis. But don't think I won't get you back if you mention the trousers to anyone!"

Tonks laughed and soon enough the two fell asleep. They were awoken once the moon had set when Remus transformed back. Helping him back into bed, the two decided to remain where they were, after all they may as well get shouted at by Remus together, rather than somewhere else more public. 

The sight of Tonks, Harry, and Remus curled up together, asleep on the large bed was what greeted Mrs Weasley the next morning as she checked up on Remus after the transformation. She frowned briefly, wondering where the other two had come from, before smiling at the sight. She closed the door, letting the three sleep some more, before returning to the kitchen to start making breakfast for the children.

**********

Harry was sitting on Ron's bed, reading his Potions coursebook for the upcoming year. It wasn't something he was enjoying and he had wondered whether any of it would eventually stick in his mind, but he didn't want to give Snape any extra opportunities to ridicule him more than necessary. Not that he needed any reason to, Harry thought sarcastically. His concentration was broken by Ron running back into the room, saying that the Order meeting was about to begin and that he and Ginny were going to try and listen in using the Extendable Ears. Harry waved him off but before he could start reading again, Neville coughed and flushed as he asked him, "Harry, I was wondering, well … when did you start calling T-Tonks 'Sis'?"

"Oh, that's okay Neville. I don't mind. It was only just last week, the night of the full moon in fact" Harry answered with a soft smile.

"Oh. I mean, I know you don't have any … well you're an only child like me. I suppose, it's just, why?" Neville replied.

"I'm not sure, I just asked. It was something rolling around in my mind" Harry started. He remembered that night, sitting in the firelight with Moony and Tonks. It was like the outside world didn't matter for one night. No pressure, no expectations. Remus, one of his Dad's best friends, who saw Harry for Harry, not the Boy-Who-Lived. Could empathise with the fact that both of them were marked by a curse that shaped people's views of them. Tonks? Well, Tonks was Tonks to Harry. She was funny and lively. She had a wonderful talent that some feared and she could be clumsy. She escaped from her family's history and her exuberance lifted Harry's spirit. She loved to tease him, yet seemed protective of him. "Remus had fallen asleep, I don't think he was feeling upto this full moon because, well because Sirius was gone, but it's not like he had a choice. So Tonks and I just chatted some. It was a silly thing, but she thought it would be fun I guess. It's our 'thing'. I can't explain it well, it just is" he finished softly.

Neville smiled more as a response than understanding, but Hermione who had been listening silently spoke up, "I thought you did quite well Harry. It's a nice thing".

"Yes. Yes it is. Was useful the next morning when Remus woke up!" Harry remembered.

"Wait a minute, what did you just say? Oh Harry, did you just say you spent the night with Professor Lupin, on the night of his transformation!" she asked horrified while Neville turned white. "That's incredibly dangerous! What if something were to go wrong, you could have been hurt, or worse!"

"Hermone! I'm fine!" shouted Harry, an angry expression on his face. "Yes it could have been dangerous, but it's Remus, he was safe. You know the Potion makes him harmless! It was my choice and I didn't do anything wrong!"

"I know it was Professor Lupin, but oh Harry. I can't imagine he was happy about it either. I can't stop you, but please be careful. I'm just worried about you", she said.

Ignoring the latter comment, Harry instead gave a dry chuckle. "_Not happy_, try livid! Tonks and I were still sleeping when he woke up and remembered the night's events. He shouted at us for about 10 minutes, but his yelling was well, not as effective, as I'm sure you can imagine, we were all still in bed. Then Tonks just confused the poor bloke by calling me _Bro_". Harry snorted before carrying on, "Remus just sat there watching Tonks and I wind each other up, before muttering something about a bad potion. I think he understood why we did it, even if he's not happy about it, besides I think it helped a bit. Hermione, you should have seen him, Moony's not a bad looking wolf, we just had some rather bad luck last time".

"If you want to call it that" Hermione retorted, obviously remembering the events at the Shrieking Shack in their Third year.

As the three once again lapsed into silence, Ron stalked back into the room. "Mom's put up warding spells again, Ginny's keeping watch though" he sulked. "Mind you, it looked like a full meeting. I think something big happened. McGonagall looked more tense than usual, Tonks seemed grim, and Snape just scowled at everyone as he rushed in. I wonder what happened?"

Harry gave a pursed his lips before replying in a dark tone, "Nothing nice I assure you"

"Do you know something?" asked Ron eager for any information.

"No, not really. I couldn't sleep for most of the night; my scar was burning quite badly. I woke Tonks so she could go to the Ministry and she stayed up with me for a while" he answered.

Ron, Hermione and Neville looked at Harry, worry evident on their faces. Hermione asked "You're not still getting visions from V-Voldemort are you?" 

Ron and Neville flinched at the Dark Lord's name but looked to Harry for an answer. "No, I can block my mind from his now, no thanks to that greasy git!" said Harry, but continued in a sad voice, green eyes shining with unshed tears, "No, the scar hurt because of the other thing".

"The _other_ thing?" questioned Neville.

"The scar hurts you when You-Know-Who's near you? But- but he couldn't have been near Headquarters, Dumbledore said it's safe!" Ron rationalised.

"Ron! Obviously, he doesn't mean that! He means … that there were…" trailed off Hermione.

"He was killing last night" finished Harry in a dull tone. "Lots of muggles I suppose".

Ron paled, while Hermione chewed her lip, obviously thinking about what Harry just said. Neville, however, was trembling and Harry thought back to the Prophesy that had shaped both of their lives. Harry and the Headmaster to his knowledge, were the only ones who knew the entire thing, but Harry wondered whether Neville perhaps should know, to know why his parents were possibly tortured, why they were confined in St Mungos. 

All four teenagers looked uneasily at each other and the air was thick with tension. Sometime later Ginny came in, saying the meeting had ended and the members of the Order were leaving the meeting, before leaving again with Ron to try and gain any information. Fred and George suddenly Apparated into the room with a loud _crack!_

"Big business going down with You-Know-Who" said Fred.

"Yeah, you should see McGonagall, I think her lips disappeared, they were that thin" George added.

"Yeah. I wish we could join, but Mom's still stopping us somehow! I don't understand. We've left school and we're of age!" whined Fred.

"I'm sure we'll find out sooner or later. If Harry was right, it'll probably be in the Daily Prophet tomorrow" Hermione stated. 

Both Weasleys turned to face Harry, who flushed under their stares. "What do you know that we don't? No offence Harry, but you're younger than us" Fred complained.

Harry stayed silent. He couldn't tell the Twins, Ron and Hermione, Remus, Tonks, **anyone**, about what he knew. He just couldn't risk the information falling into Voldemort's hands. It was why he learnt Occumancy. It was his fault Sirius died; it was his burden, his guilt, and his secret.

"Shut up Fred! It's Harry, of course he knows. Do you want to be in his shoes? It was probably his scar anyway, not the Order" said George, admonishing a surprised Fred. 

"Yeah, sorry Harry. It's just annoying, not knowing a thing. Anyway, we noticed Snape down there, that greasy git. Hey, can you imagine his face if one of our Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-bangs went off in his lesson? Or the Portable Swamp?" with gleaming eyes the Twins turned to face Harry. "Dear Investor…"

"_No!_" interrupted Harry. "No, no, no! I am **not** doing that for you. I actually want to survive Potions! Besides, Snape will be looking for _any_ reason to kick me out of his class, considering I didn't get an Outstanding in the Potions OWLs and Professor McGonagall had to get me into the class. Find some other sucker".

Grinning, George began, "Snape wouldn't take you in his NEWT level class because you didn't get an Outstanding?" 

"McGonagall got you into the class" added Fred.

"What did Snape say about that?" they asked in unison.

"I wouldn't know, nothing good I imagine. McGonagall told me I was to attend Potions classes in my Hogwarts letter" replied Harry.

"Oh well Brother dear, we'll have to find someone else to help us prank Snape", Fred said, before turning to face Neville.

"Uhh … n-no" stuttered Neville, turning deathly white at the thought of having to prank the intimidating Potions Master.

"No, probably not" said George kindly. The Twins looked each other in the eye before turning as one to face the only other person in the room, Hermione.

Hermione looked up from her Transfiguration coursebook and arched her eyebrow. "You are asking me to prank a Professor?"

"No" laughed George.

"Not Little Miss Prefect" Fred added.

"Never would have considered it" George finished.

"Good" answered Hermione in a dry voice.

"Pity" muttered Fred under his breath. 

"Maybe you could visit Ron and Ginny at school and do something then" suggested Harry.

Fred and George considered the idea before identical evil grins appeared on their faces. 

"Oooo, I have such a good plan" started George, but he never got to finish because the sounds of shouting voices drifted up the stairs, as Ron and Ginny ran into the room.

"Harry!" panted Ginny. "What have you done?"

"What? I haven't done anything … at least I don't think so" he replied bewildered.

"You must have Harry. He's having a fit down there, I swear" laughed Ron.

"Who?"

Ron and Ginny opened their mouths to reply, but were cut off by a very loud shout. 

"POTTER!"

Ron and Ginny said in unison, "Him".

Neville paled further, while the Twins snickered.

"Glad to see you're enjoying the fact that I'm about to get yelled at for something I don't even know about!" Harry said sarcastically.

"Sorry mate! It's just, well, no-one can get him to shout like that except _you_. Seems like you have a skill there", Fred gasped out between laughter.

"POTTER! GET DOWN HERE AT ONCE!"

"Lucky me" muttered Harry, getting off the bed and slowly making his way out of the room.

"Come on George, we have to see this!" shouted Fred as he followed Harry to the door. Behind them followed the others, all obviously wanting to see what Snape wanted this time. They stood at the top of the stairs, hidden by shadows, as Harry slowly made his way down, privately repeating the mantra, 'I have done nothing wrong. Don't lose your temper with Snape'.

Reaching the bottom, Harry glanced at the empty frame where Mrs Black once stood. He was even more grateful now that he had got rid of the old cow, since having to put up with Snape _and_ Mrs Black would have probably led to hearing loss. Looking for the Professor in question, Harry saw him, standing with Professor McGonagall and Remus. 

Snape was his usual greasy self, with his black robes wrapped around him like a barrier. His face was contorted with anger, and two small spots of red were found high on his cheeks. Professor McGonagall looked quite flustered, though also quite disapproving at something or, more likely, someone. Harry's heart sank, maybe he had done something wrong he thought, and now Snape and McGonagall were going to tell him off. A quick glance at Remus gave him some hope and courage and with a deep breath to calm his thoughts, he looked Snape in the eye and asked quite politely, "Yes Professor. You bellowed?"

"It seems that your Head of House had decided to play favourites again. After all, perfect Potter wants to be an Auror, so why don't we all bow to his whims!" he sneered. Harry saw McGonagall's lips grow narrower, the frown deepening, while Remus made an aborted motion to move towards Snape.

"Circumstances have been such that I will allow you into my classroom Potter, but if you make the _slightest_ mistake, or if your grades start to fall, I will have no hesitation whatsoever in throwing you out of my class" threatened Snape.

"Understood sir!" snapped Harry, having expected something similar anyway. Harry saw a small smile on Remus' face and the glimmer of pride in McGonagall's eyes. He saw Tonks approach from behind Remus, a curious expression on her face. Seeing Harry and Snape, her face shifted to a look of concern.

Quietly, so not to attract the attention of Snape, she whispered to Remus "What in the name of Merlin is Snape shouting about?"

"Potions lessons. McGonagall had to bribe him so he'd let Harry into his class. Draco Malfoy gets to do Transfiguration and Harry gets into Potions".

"McGonagall only asks for Exceed Expectations!" came from an astonished Tonks.

"Amusing isn't it" replied Remus before returning his attention to Snape, who was still threatening Harry with regards to his behaviour in Potions.

"… and the Headmaster has asked me to resume your Occumancy lessons. Yes Potter, Occumancy. Stop frowning boy, it's not like I want to teach you anymore than you want to have the lessons. Especially not after that incident last year. I have not forgotten that Potter!"

"Severus", McGonagall reprimanded, looking slightly at unease. "Back to business please".

"But sir-" Harry started to say, before being interrupted by the angry Potions Master.

"Shut up and listen Potter! You will attend these lessons and I should hope you actually _try_ this time! I shall arrange for some remedial Potion lessons for you" he snarled at the pale faced teenager.

Harry's self-control broke and he took several steps towards Snape. "What do you mean _remedial potions_ Professor?" he sneered back. "If I'm taking that when I gained an 'Exceed Expectations' in my Potions exams, what the hell do you call lessons with Crabbe and Goyle? '_Potions for Dimwits_'? **Stuff** your remedial potions and stuff your bloody Occumancy lessons. You were a pathetic teacher anyway" he snapped back and turned around ready to go back upstairs.

Professor McGonagall, Remus and Tonks stood shocked at Harry's words. Upstairs, the small huddle of teenagers were divided between shock and awe, already being used to Harry's mood swings and hot temper. 

Snape blinked. Once … twice … before sneering with a voice dripping with contempt, "So, the Golden Boy of Gryffindor thinks _so_ highly of himself that he doesn't need any help blocking his mind from the Dark Lord's influence. You somehow managed it once and now you think you're invincible? Pity about Black I suppose. But then again, like father, like son, arrogant to the end".

With that, Snape raised his wand and aimed it at Harry, who was still within striking range. Harry felt a strange burning sensation at his throat and stiffened. Before the other adults could react, Snape had started the incantation, "_Legim-_"

Snape did not get a chance to finish his incantation, because Harry had fallen to the floor, before extending his right leg and using his foot to hook behind Snape's left knee. Harry jerked his leg causing Snape to fall onto his knees. Harry was running on instinct, one to protect himself. He did not hear the shouts of his friends or the horrified gasps of the adults above the pounding of heart, as his blood raced with adrenaline. Getting to his feet quickly, he grabbed Snape's wrist, the one holding the wand, and twisted slightly, causing the shocked Professor to drop his wand. At the back of his mind, Harry noted that he shouldn't be able to do this. He was only a teenager, one that had not been eating regularly, nor sleeping recently. Snape was an adult and had a larger build to him. _It must be shock_. 

Quickly returning to reality, Harry found that he had manoeuvred Snape's arm behind his back. As Snape made to grab his wand with his free hand, Harry hissed in the older man's ear "I wouldn't do that Snape!" Releasing the arm, Harry moved away from Snape. 

Green eyes bored into him, filled with a fire from deep within. "You deserved that Snape. What made you think you can attack someone like that? An unarmed wizard who had his back to you? An underage wizard! One who can't perform magic during the holidays!" he snarled. "What kind of behaviour is that? 

"Do you _really_ hate my father that much? Do you hate me that much? You know what? Yes, James Potter was a bully, he was arrogant, and yes he embarrassed you and many others _who knows_ how many times! **So what**? You weren't perfect either!" he carried on, voice increasing in volume. Seeing Snape's face grow paler, Harry continued on regardless. 

"Yes, I've heard about what you did to my father, and to Sirius and Remus as well. You were never an innocent! The difference is that my Dad **grew up** and you haven't! Instead now, you terrorise students who aren't even half your age, while you let the Slytherins get away with near-murder! No wonder they think they can walk over anyone and anything, it's not like you stop them! 

"I may look like James Potter, but I am not my father as you remember him! Can you accept that? I'll tell you now, don't you ever dare attack me like that again", he threatened in a lower harsher voice, "and I _still_ don't need your Occumancy lessons, _Snivellus_!"

With that Harry turned around and stalked back up the stairs to his room, his face devoid of any emotion, green eyes cold and hard. The group of teenagers at the top did not try to stop Harry, all having a healthy respect for their lives. Instead, they focussed their attention back onto the four adults, who were staring dumbly after Harry's retreating figure. 

"You know Snape, you're lucky I'm not going to curse you right now for that incredibly stupid stunt you just pulled!" growled Remus, amber eyes glinting dangerously.

"What about Potter? He physically attacked me!" scowled Snape.

"After you threatened, no, actually started to curse an unarmed opponent! A student!" shouted Tonks, appalled. "What were you thinking? Merlin! Were you thinking at all Snape!"

"What? He was arrogant enough to believe he had mastered Occumancy! The idiotic boy could hardly close his mind to me last year and with the demise of Black, well the evidence speak for itself!" he sneered.

Tonks and McGonagall both had to hold back Remus, who had narrowed his eyes and curled his lips at Snape's words, looking very much like the wolf he transformed into once a month. "You don't know Harry, Snape! You can't see past his looks" Remus spat angrily at the sneering Potions Master. "He didn't learn a damn thing from you last year. Did you even try to teach it to him properly? He's doesn't talk much about those lessons, but I can see it in his eyes. 

"He learnt how to shield his mind this summer. He knows the consequences of what happened Snape! He lives with it each day, from when he wakes up 'til he goes to sleep. And even then, it plagues him in his sleep! You've never sat by his side, watching him cry out in his sleep, begging Sirius to forgive him! He knows dammit!"

"I'm afraid I'll have to let the Headmaster know of what happened here tonight Professor Snape!" snapped McGonagall. "Mr Potter is not a _Gryffindor Golden Boy_ as you describe him. He has the makings of an excellent Auror, and to do that, he needs Potions. I assure you now, he **will** be attending Potions whatever your feelings are on the matter. I will also keep to the terms of our agreement. I must say though, I have never seen such behaviour from a Professor" she said angrily. "You really must do something about your behaviour regarding Mr Potter, preferably before term starts".

"And what about Potter's behaviour tonight" asked Snape. "He insulted my teaching methods. What of his punishment?"

"Do you have any idea of what Harry has to go through? Do you know that he had no sleep whatsoever last night" replied Tonks scathingly. "He was up all night, his scar burning continuously. He told me each time Voldemort cast a Cruciatus curse, and every time he killed. Oh god, it was horrible! He was in so much _pain_. And then, tonight, you insult him and his father. You mock him about Sirius' death. WHAT DID YOU EXPECT! Him to roll over and just take that kind of abuse? Harry's right, you're pathetic! I can't look- just go away! I'm going to check on my little brother!" and with that she hurried up the stairs.

Remus stared at Snape, who had finally put away his wand and had gathered his robe about him. "I think you better leave Snape. You're not welcome here tonight. I can't guarantee your safety if you stay" he ground out between gritted teeth.

"Gladly" snorted Snape, stalking out of the front door.

"I'm sorry Minerva to leave you, but I'd like to check on Harry" apologised Remus. 

"That's perfectly fine. Give him my apologies for Professor Snape's behaviour would you? I'll just check on Molly and assure her everything is, well, as well as it can be I suppose, before I floo back to Hogwarts" replied McGonagall.

Remus walked up the stairs, ignoring the wide-eyed teenagers and walked over to Harry's door. Knocking, he called out "It's Remus. Can I come in?"

The door opened, and Remus entered. He found Harry sitting on the bed, obviously meditating. Tonks whispered that he'd been like this ever since she came in, as Remus' sharp eyes took in Harry's appearance. Even while performing the meditation exercises, tension radiated from Harry. With a sigh, the two of them settled down to wait for Harry to come out of his meditation, hoping that he wouldn't ignore them. 'Damn Snape' thought Remus.

Over an hour later, Tonks left the room to go to the kitchen and get something for the three friends to eat. Harry had not yet come out of his meditation, although Remus noticed that Harry was aware of their presence. It wasn't until after Tonks had arrived, carrying food obviously provided by Molly that Harry stirred. 

"Harry" exclaimed Remus.

"Harry?" asked Tonks in a soft voice.

"Hi guys. Do you mind if we don't…" 

"Nope, the less said the better. It means he might escape the next time we meet without me hexing him. Although, I was looking forward to doing something to that _thing_ he calls hair. I swear that something is growing in there!" exclaimed Tonks.

Remus snorted, "I doubt it, the grease would kill anything off".

"What if there was something that fed on grease?" asked Tonks.

"You mean something like Dudley?" said Harry, still slightly subdued.

Remus and Tonks coughed several times, before bursting out in laughter, pulling a smile out of Harry in response. "Can you imagine your cousin living in Snape's hair!" gasped out Tonks in between laughter.

"I've no idea who I'd feel more sorry for, Snape or Dudley!" replied Remus, tears in his eyes.

Tonks composed herself before sitting down next to Harry. "Look Bro. I just want to say I'm proud of you. Snape had no right to say what he did, so don't feel too bad about it" she said, giving him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Now, it's a Snape-free zone for the rest of the night!"

"Wait, wait!" shouted Remus, wiping away the tears. He walked up to Harry and pulled him up into a fierce hug. Turning downcast eyes to his own, he told Harry, "What Snape did was unacceptable Harry. You did the right thing, even though it would have been easier to let him give you the lessons. He didn't have any right to say those things to you, nor to humiliate you with any sort of _remedial_ lessons, and he doesn't know you at all. He sees James, and he sees the Boy-Who-Lived. He doesn't see _our_ Harry, okay?"

Remus sat back down before saying, "now it's a Snape-free zone".

"Yay!" cheered Tonks, eliciting a smile from Harry. "Food?"

"No thanks Sis. I'm not hungry anymore" replied Harry.

"Oh well, I guess I won't be eating either" said Remus in a falsely light tone.

"Why?" asked Harry, confused.

"Our pact, remember?" Seeing the confused look on Harry's face, Remus elaborated further. "At the Dursleys? You don't eat, I won't eat?"

"Oh", silence followed before Harry spoke again. "I suppose I'll try to eat something then".

Remus smiled and as he turned to serve the food, he heard a quietly muttered "manipulative bastard" but just chuckled.

**********

Harry stood on Platform 9¾. It was finally the end of summer, the start of his 6th Year at Hogwarts. His trunk had been packed and then repacked by Tonks. The scarlet train was already waiting at the platform, smoke billowing out of the engine compartment. Students and parents were milling around with last-minute checks and tearful goodbyes. This time last year, Sirius had come to wave him off, well more like wag Harry supposed. It seemed that Harry had less and less people to say goodbye to. Absently, he noticed that there were Aurors positioned in various spots in case of Death Eater troubles, although Harry doubted there would be an attack, what with several children of suspected Death Eaters on the Hogwarts Express. Even so, Remus had given Harry a portkey that morning before they had left Grimmald Place. 

"It's been specially made. You can activate it with a particular keyword, which is '_Lilyflower_'. Only you can activate it Harry. If you need to get the others out, they've got to be in contact with you. The other feature is if there's a direct attack on you, the portkey will immediately activate. It will bring you to the Entrance Hall at Hogwarts. Now, I know you don't like portkeys, but it's for your safety".

Harry had put it in his trouser pocket and he hoped that he wouldn't have to use it. An uneventful year would be nice, though deep inside, Harry knew there was no chance of that.

Remus' voice jerked him from his thoughts. "Shall we get your trunk onto the train then? Where did Ron and Hermione put their stuff?" he asked.

"Over there I think" indicated Harry, leading the way. Finding the correct compartment, he saw that Ron and Hermione had indeed put their trunks and other luggage there. As had Neville and Ginny. Seeing there was not enough room for his trunk, he dragged it across the compartment, under the window. Not wanting to face the small group that had served as a 'guard', Harry decided to remain in the compartment and wait for his friends to arrive. 

He had already said his goodbyes to Remus. Harry realised that he was going to miss the gentle werewolf, his quiet assurance and confidence. He had promised to write often and Remus had fixed the mirror that Harry had broken at the end of last year, after he'd found out that his godfather … that Sirius was dead.

There was a loud crash and a familiar voice muttering about stupid doors, that caught Harry's attention. "Harry! Hey little Bro! Hey! Were you going to leave without saying goodbye to your Sis?" she sniffed, affecting a mock hurt tone, with Remus grinning behind her. 

Harry noticed that they were attracting a fair amount of attention, what with Tonk's bubblegum pink hair, Remus their ex-DADA Professor, and Harry standing in the compartment. Ushering them in, Harry looked over his glasses, pouting. "Of course not Sis! I knew you wouldn't let me leave without a kiss so I just decided to wait for you" he replied. "Now you be safe doing that Auror-slash-Order-slash-dangerous things you do. I need my big Sis to tease me! Besides who else would I trust to look after Wolf-man here!" he laughed.

"Hey!" retorted Remus, blushing. "I'm old enough to look after myself"

"And you have the grey hair to prove it I suppose, but you're a Maurader, trouble follows you. Besides, you have to stay safe Remus. You have to" Harry begged.

"I'll try Harry, the same for you too. Remember what I told you Harry, I know you can do it, that you can accept it".

Harry spent the next few minutes talking to the two before both hugged him goodbye and wished him good luck. As they started to leave the train, Harry quickly ran through the students and yelled to Tonks, "Hey Sis, don't I get a good luck kiss?" Harry laughed, joined by the many Weasleys and Remus as Tonks ran back to Harry. She gave a show of puckering up and giving him a noisy kiss before actually giving Harry a small kiss on the cheek. "Good luck Bro" she whispered in his ear. "I just know somehow that you'll need it. Remember, Remus and I love you".

Harry words got caught in his throat before replying "I love you two too. Thanks so much, for everything". Another hug later, she ran back to Remus and Molly whilst Harry yelled at Ginny to get on the train or miss it. His green eyes were bright with unshed tears, happiness and sadness, as the train began to move away from the platform. He watched as Tonks and Remus disappeared from view, but took solace in the fact that he would see them soon. 

Harry was sitting in the compartment with Neville. Ron and Hermione were at their Prefect's meeting, but would be back soon, while Ginny was visiting some of her friends. Neville seemed content in reading his new Herbology coursebook while Harry absently petted Hedwig as he watched the countryside pass through the window.

Some time later, the door to their compartment crashed open and Ron fell in, followed by Hermione and Ginny. Ron was complaining about Prefect duties while Hermione argued back regarding their importance, Harry had become so used to the bickering that he tuned it out. He was brought out of his trance-like state by a red faced Ginny. 

"Stop it you two. Just agree to disagree!" she yelled.

"Well said Ginny" Harry agreed.

"Hey!" complained Ron as Hermione let out an unlady-like snort.

"This'll keep your mouth occupied for a few minutes at least" said Ginny, as she passed around what seemed to be a white gummy sweet. Harry, Ron, and Hermione took one while Neville politely declined. All four started to chew the sweet, which had a pleasant peppermint taste when Harry felt a strange sensation pass over his body. Looking down, he gasped. "Umm, guys? Is this supposed to be happening?"

Neville looked up and burst out into laughter, obviously pleased to have escaped a joke sweet. "Ginny?" he questioned.

"Oooo, I am going to get Fred and George I swear! We look like ghosts!" she cried out.

Ron just looked at himself and then his friends and burst out laughing. Soon the other three joined him, after all, it seemed rather harmless for the Twins. The compartment door opening again, however, cutting off their laughter. This time revealing Harry's nemesis, Draco Malfoy. Harry grabbed his wand instinctively, not liking the look on the blonde's face.

"Potter" he spat. "It's all your fault my father's in Azkaban!"

"No, it's his fault for following an idiot like Voldemort" replied Harry, ignoring the winces from the other purebloods as he said the Dark Lord's name.

"He's more powerful than ever and he will kill you Potter" Malfoy sneered, "After you watch everyone you love die. The _dog_ was the first"

"Shut up Malfoy! You don't know anything! Get out before we make you", warned Harry, temper rising fast. He was aware that his friends had risen and were pointed their wands at Malfoy and his two cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, who were at their usual positions behind Malfoy.

"This is for my father" cried Malfoy and threw a curse at Harry. At the same time, Harry shouted a curse he had learnt over the summer, one that would cause Malfoy to be temporarily blinded. Time seemed to slow as various curses from his friends and Malfoy's cronies passed through the small space. He saw his curse head towards Malfoy, and Harry ducked trying to avoid the one sent his way, but he was not fast enough. Harry fell onto his trunk, Hedwig hooting as he came into contact with her. He wasn't aware of the curse hitting, but he felt the pull behind his navel as the portkey activated. A bright white light blinded him before fading away. Blinking several times, he made out the doors of the Entrance Hall at Hogwarts, before darkness claimed him. Seconds later, Harry lay unconscious, draped over his trunk, Hedwig hooting loudly as she tried to awaken her master.

**********

Notes:

Oh my god! I've just written more in the last 3 days than I did for my dissertation, and that took me months! As promised, I've finished Chapter 3, without too long a wait! I've posted it, I had a couple of problems writing this one. I'm not sure I got what I wanted to say across, but it seems to read fine. Let me know! If you enough of you agree, I may try to re-write it. (Perhaps I should mention I stayed up the entire night checking the chapter so I could post it this morning.) The chapter wasn't meant to be this long, but I didn't want to draw it out any longer, so here you are!

The next chapter may be a little while. I've only plotted out about half of it, and the rest well, currently they're just events. Like I said before, this was an idea in my head and I just ran with it, hence no prep work unlike the other piece I'm planning meticulously. What was I thinking? I may have been drunk! Anyway, apart from the lack of a proper plot, I've agreed to go visit the Parents next week and I'm not taking my laptop with me (it's old and about to fall apart) so I'll post as soon as Ch 4 is done.

Now most of the foundations have been set, and there are some clues and hints everywhere. Feel free to guess! If you have any questions so far, e-mail or review and if I can I'll answer them. Any ideas you have are also welcome!

Thanks to **Chrissi**, **hpcrazy**, **Romm**, **Acacia Jules** and **Facade1**, **Ping*Pong5 **and **Serendipity1** for reviewing! You got me through the last two nights as I stressed over this!

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Ping*Pong5 - The egg is a surprise! You'll have to wait and see, unless you want to guess!

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Serendipity1 - I can assure you that the dragon tooth necklace is NOT a power-based object. It is special though, in more than one way. The presents weren't really meant to be plot devices, mainly symbolic or just what I thought Harry would/should receive. The 'box' from the Twins came about because I thought it would be tiresome to write down every prank/joke item they gave Harry, so it's all been condensed into that box!

I apologise in advance for any mistakes, spelling, grammatical or otherwise. It is all my fault since this is unbeta'd. Please **review (long is good!) **and send any helpful comments, all will be appreciated. Any flames, however, will be, in all honesty, read then disregarded. Thank you for reading!

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SStar


	4. Revelations

Comments: e-mail at sstar_luna@yahoo.co.uk or Review button below.

Rating: PG-13 for now, may change later. Will be **slash** later in the story: HP/?, JP/LE

Spoilers: Books 1-5. Do not read unless you have FINISHED _The Order of the Phoenix_.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot. All Harry Potter™ characters and settings are the sole intellectual property of JK Rowling, Warner Bros. and various others who all aren't connected to me in any way. No money is being made with this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

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Chapter 4: Revelations

"Thank Merlin!" muttered James under his breath as he and Sirius finally found the compartment which held his other two best friends, Remus and Peter. Seeing Remus' raised eyebrow at their harried appearance, James grimaced before explaining. "There was a small umm … _delay _this morning on our way to the station. We only just got here as you can see. Hey Wormtail, move will you so I can store this?" motioning to his trunk. As he struggled to secure his trunk, he heard Sirius snort behind him.

"Moony mate, what James here isn't telling you is that we're so late because his mom shouted at him for absolutely _ages_ this morning. Seems Mrs Potter didn't appreciate her breakfast this morning!" revealed Sirius, whose handsome face was lit up with a grin.

"Sirius! That wasn't even my fault, you were the one who changed the teacup! All I did was pour the tea in that blasted cup for her and she decided to blame me! It was not the way I wanted to say goodbye" snapped James, a light blush forming on his cheeks.

"Face it Prongs, you were laughing at that look on your mom's face as well! She looked hilarious, oh Moony, you should have seen it, the cup attached to her nose" said Sirius between chuckles. "I don't think I've seen her turn so red so fast, and that's saying something, having to put up with James here for sixteen years".

"Yeah mate, and with you there this summer as well! I swear my mom's suddenly sprouted double the amount of grey hairs. It was all your fault Padfoot … well most of it" retorted James with a grin, as he finally sat down opposite Sirius. He couldn't help feeling that tingling feeling. Finally, he would be back at Hogwarts with his best friends, and he'd be seeing Lily Evans again, with pranks to pull, and full moons. He couldn't wait.

"Sounds like you've been behaving this summer then James" Remus remarked with a wry smile. "What with Sirius' good influence and all".

James snorted in response as Sirius pouted and affected a wounded look. He saw the 'puppy' look aimed at both himself and the other two, but felt the effect was ruined by the glint in his bright sapphire eyes. "Come now Padfoot, you know Moony is just saying it as it is. That look only works on first years now since they don't know what a devious devil you are".

"Ah, but I'm a devastatingly handsome devil remember!"

"Yes, yes Padfoot. Careful now or we won't be able to fit your head in here, if it gets any bigger that is", Remus teased. "Mind you, I hope there won't be a repeat of that incident at last year's Sorting!"

James, Remus, and Peter all laughed at the expression that formed on Sirius' face. "That **wasn't** my fault I tell you. How was I supposed to know that new first-year was going to faint when I grinned at her!" he exclaimed.

"Sirius' grin. Beware Death Eaters! He'll stun you with a flash of his teeth" said Peter, but there was no laughter for his comment. The situation regarding Voldemort and his followers were worrying everybody, especially James, who could not stop his eyes travelling to Sirius. 

Obviously, Remus was following the same trail of thought for he asked rather hesitantly, "Sirius? Well, we got your letters this summer, yours and James of course. I suppose, do you mind? What did happen this summer?"

James felt Sirius gather his resolve, his blue eyes dimming as he remembered the events that bought him to James' home. Sirius started the tale, "Well…"

**********

Albus Dumbledore hurried from his office towards the main entrance of the school. It was September 1st 1976, the first day of a new academic year at Hogwarts, and the students would be arriving through those very doors in just a few hours. He had just been alerted to a disturbance in the wards surrounding the school a few minutes before and thus had abandoned his work to immediately see to the matter, taking no risks especially with the increasing threat from the Dark. Not that Voldemort would dare attack Hogwarts at the moment, he hoped. Tom wasn't quite enough powerful yet, but then Albus wasn't one to pin his hopes on just that: hope. He knew that he would see Tom again, but not today, not today.

As he neared the corridor leading to the Entrance Hall, he could hear the hooting of a distressed owl. Frowning, he hurried his steps and as he entered the hall, he immediately saw the cause. There on the floor lay a young man, no, a teenager. He could see the trunk next to the boy and a white snowy owl, who had just landed and was now resting on the trunk by her master. He made his way to stand in front of the unconscious boy and ran his eyes over the figure. Bending over, he tilted the head so to gain a better look at the boy and his frown deepened. 

He heard a gasp from behind him, "Headmaster! Is that? What is he doing here? He should be on the Hogwarts Express with his friends, not here and unconscious", said Minerva. "How did he get here Albus? That Potter, he can't even wait for school to start before getting into some kind of mischief or trouble".

"I don't know Minerva", sighed Albus in response. "We'll have to ask young James when he wakes up. Would you terribly mind taking Mr Potter up to the Hospital Wing while I tend to his belongings?"

"Of course Headmaster" replied the Deputy Headmistress and with a flick of her wand, she levitated the teenager and made her way towards Madam Pomfrey's domain.

"Daisy" the Headmaster called out. With a pop, a house-elf stood in front of the old wizard. "Ah Daisy. Could you send this trunk to my office for the moment and take the owl to the Owlery please?"

"Yes Sir. Of course" and with a pop the elf, trunk, and owl all disappeared, leaving the Headmaster to his thoughts in the empty Hall.

**********

"Hey guys, have you heard about this new course they're offering this year?" asked Sirius.

Remus looked at the taller boy and nodded. "I did, it sounds interesting, but I can't take it. I've already got a full schedule. I've got the basics of course, Transfigurations, Charms, DADA, and Potions, though Merlin only knows how I got an Exceeds in the OWLs! Then, what with Magical Creatures and Runes, I doubt I'd be able to fit anything else in!"

"Moony! I didn't know we were doing the same subjects, well, I should've guessed you were going to choose Runes I suppose" commented James. "Looks like we'll have class together",

"Hey! No fair! What if we're separated? Oh no", wailed Sirius, a hand at his head, "how will we survive? We might not be able to prank the greasy git or … I'll … I'll actually have to behave?"

Peter looked torn between sniggering at Sirius and worrying regarding his comments. James just rolled his eyes at his friend's behaviour while Remus looked thoughtful. "You know Padfoot?" he started, "I doubt it. Most of our courses are the same, we'll probably be together for most of them. Mind you, why are you taking Runes James, I didn't think you enjoyed it _that_ much? It's a pity you can't take Quidditch as a NEWT I suppose".

James felt his face burn as Sirius turned bright eyes onto the werewolf. "Come on Remus, isn't it obvious? Jamie-boy here is taking Runes so he can be closer to Evans!"

"Shut it" growled James, but his friends took no notice, instead filling the compartment with their laughter. James snorted, "Just you wait Black! You'll get your comeuppance, don't you worry".

"Oh no! Save me Remus!" but Remus was in no state to do anything of the sort, he was too busy holding his sides, laughing at the faces his two friends were pulling at each other. Trying to distract his more hot-headed friends, he asked Peter, "Say Wormtail, what are you taking? You're keeping awfully quiet about it".

Peter blushed slightly as he saw all three heads turn to him. Twisting his fingers in his lap, he muttered, "I'm taking Transfigurations, DADA and Magical Creatures as well, but I'm also taking History, Herbology, and Divination".

"Divination!" exclaimed Sirius. "That pile of tripe!"

"Don't worry Peter", said James comfortingly. "I'm sure you'll have lots of fun making up predictions and all that. We'll help as well, excuses and whatnot. Won't we?"

"Thanks James" squeaked Peter, a pleased smile on his lips.

Deciding to change the subject, Sirius opened his mouth in anticipation of discussing his plan for the pranks that he had thought of pulling at this evening's feast when the door to their compartment opened. Twisting around, he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists when he saw who was at the door.

"Ah, Black. Or perhaps I shouldn't call you that anymore, after all I hear you ran away from home" sneered Snape, his two goons Crabbe and Goyle standing behind him. "Just like a scared little boy".

"Shut it, you greasy git!" spat Sirius. "Shut up and get out or I'll hex you!"

"Can't handle the truth? Scared little Black. Can't cope at home so runs away like a scared cat", laughed Snape at an increasingly angrier Sirius, who was reaching for his wand.

"Go away Snape, you're outnumbered here. Crabbe and Goyle can't help you and you're no match for us, or perhaps you'd like another example of my levitation spell", shouted James, who had his wand in his hand, pointing it at the Slytherin.

"Leave now Snape, and I won't report you" ordered Remus.

"Ha, I don't want to breathe the same air as traitors and mudblood lovers like you anyway. Just thought I'd see how the arrogant homeless bastard was" and with that he turned around and stalked away down the train, his two housemates following stupidly behind.

"Damn it Remus! I wish you'd let me hex him, he had no right at all, that snake!" shouted Sirius.

"Padfoot! You don't need any more opportunities to get into more trouble, it always seem to find you anyway" chastised Remus. "I'm just trying to keep you out of trouble, besides, it's not like you weren't expecting something like this anyway".

"That's right Sirius. You know your dear brother and cousin will talk about it anyway, I'm pretty sure everyone will know about it soon enough" reasoned James as he guided his friend to his seat.

Remus sat down next to the angry teenager and added, "you can't hex each and every person who makes a comment about you. You'll just have to put up with it, but you have us to help you out".

"Maybe I can't hex each person, I suppose I'll just have to prank the whole lot of them instead. It'll make me feel a damn sight better" said Sirius, a red blush still staining his cheeks from his earlier anger. Suddenly, he heard the sound of the door to their compartment sliding open again and reached for his wand in anticipation of another unwelcome encounter, but relaxed when he noticed it was only the witch with the food trolley.

"Anything off the trolleys dear…"

**********

Poppy Pomfrey had just examined the unconscious boy and had left to return to her office, leaving Minerva with the student. Potter looked different from the last time she had seen him, she mused, which had only been a few weeks ago at the Potters' home. He looked to be paler and had a slightly pinched look about him. Although James had always been thin, this seemed more … _pronounced_ she thought, as he lay on the bed. 

A small cough alerted her to the presence of the Headmaster who had just entered the Hospital Wing. "So how is Mr Potter" he asked.

"Poppy says she's not sure what's wrong with him. He's not got any broken bones nor is he sick. Hopefully he'll regain consciousness soon and we can ask him" she replied, a small frown on her face.

"Hmmm. Well, could you look out for his friends, young Mr Black or Mr Lupin may know about his conditions", asked the old wizard. "Perhaps also Mr Pettigrew? If you could ask them to see me just before the feast?"

"Of course Headmaster" she replied. "If you could excuse me, I still need to finish my preparations for tonight"

"Of course Professor McGonagall, of course" he said, and so she left him staring at the only occupant of the Hospital Wing with his bright blue eyes,

**********

James, Sirius, and Remus were caught up in the large crowd of excited students as they neared the large doors, at the start of a new year at Hogwarts. Somehow, they had managed to lose Peter, who was shorter than the rest of the Marauders, after they stepped off the train. Although they had looked around for a moment for the missing boy, they moved on knowing they would eventually find Peter at the Gryffindor table, as he wasn't one to miss a feast.

As they walked into the large Entrance Hall, they were stopped by the shouts of their Head of House, "Lupin! Black!"

Ignoring the curious looks and muted laughter from their fellow students, and wondering what trouble they were in, the trio waited for McGonagall to reach them. "Have you already done something Sirius and not told us, your best friends?" whispered James, who though not asked to wait, was not going to leave his friends side unless he was specifically told to.

"No, at least not to my knowledge. Remus?"

"Me?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot!"

Remus snorted but was stopped from making a reply by the appearance of Professor McGonagall, who stood in front of the three teenagers. "Ah there you are, Mr Black, Mr Lupin, and Mr P-". The trio stared at their teacher in shock as she gasped and her face paled when she turned her eyes onto James. "Ja- James? Mr Potter? How are you here?" she asked, clearly shaken.

"Yes" said the boy, drawing out his answer as he looked at his teacher in confusion. "Why? Has my name changed without my knowing? Or do I look that striking Professor, that you're awed by my good looks" he asked, flashing a grin at McGonagall, though his hazel eyes betrayed his inner worry regarding her reaction to seeing him. 

It seemed to bring her out of her daze. "Please keep such comments to yourself Mr Potter" chastised the Transfiguration teacher. "Now, if you could follow me. The Headmaster would like a word with you before you join your fellow students". The three just blinked and followed the Deputy Headmistress as she walked away, trailing her as she made for the Hospital Wing. 

Confused at their destination, the three boys shot each other concerned looks as a strange foreboding feeling settled in their stomachs, hoping that no-one they knew or loved had been hurt. They entered the Hospital Wing and immediately saw the Headmaster standing at the foot of one of the beds, talking to Professor McGonagall, a perplexed look on his face. He bid McGonagall to return to see to the new first years and then turned his eyes on James, examining him before noticing the other two with him.

"Ah, Mr Potter. I see Mr Black and Mr Lupin have also accompanied you" he said.

"Yes sir. Professor McGonagall said you wanted a word with us? She seemed awfully shocked when she saw James here. There's nothing the matter sir, is there? We just followed Professor McGonagall like she asked us to" replied Remus, shooting his two friends a concerned look at their teachers' strange behaviour.

"No dear boy, no. Well, lets see" he muttered, once more shooting a concerned look at the bed. He beckoned the boys to come closer and asked James, "Mr Potter. If I may, I was wondering, do you recognise this young man here?"

James moved closer to the Headmaster, his friends a step behind and looked in the direction indicated and let out a small gasp. 'He looks like me, but not quite. It looks like he's got my messy black hair, though mine is a bit shorter', thought James. 'He's also thinner than I am' and his face is slightly different I suppose'. James tried to remember whether any of his relatives were around his age and in similar appearance, but came up with no one. "Sorry Professor. I can't think of anyone. I don't know who he is ".

The Headmaster turned his piercing gaze on him and seemed to be lost in thought for a few moments before he came to a decision. He asked the three boys to return to the feast after making them promise not to mention the stranger to anyone else. He watched as the trio walked out of the Hospital Wing, shooting looks at the bed as they left before he turned his gaze back onto the young man. 

"Who are you and why are you here? I don't suppose I'll find out until you wake up". With a final piercing look at the boy on the bed, he turned and went to join the rest of the castle's occupants in the Great Hall, to welcome in a new year.

**********

Harry slowly regained consciousness. First he felt several aches in his body and realised that he was lying down on a bed, but with no memory of actually going to sleep. Then his hearing came back to him, the silence ringing in his ears. He tried to open his eyes, but it felt as if there were weights attached to his eyelids, so hard was it to open them. He relaxed for a few moments while listening for any signs of movement before he tried to open his eyes again. Slowly they fluttered open revealing bright emerald eyes, the brightness of the room startling him before he finally adjusted. With a small groan, he pushed himself up into a sitting position on the bed. He put on his glasses that he noticed on the bedside table, so that he could better discern his surroundings and what he saw made him groan louder into the still air.

"The Hospital wing?" muttered Harry, a frown forming on his slightly pale face. "This must be a record" he decided. 

The noise was obviously loud enough to summon Madam Pomfrey from wherever she had been. As she checked him over, Harry asked her, "Madam Pomfrey? What happened?"

"You were found in the Entrance Hall yesterday afternoon, unconscious", she replied, eyeing him curiously. "We had no idea what happened to you, or how you arrived but you were brought here. You've been sleeping now for almost 24 hours. I want you to drink this before you leave this bed", she said handing him a goblet. As Harry took the goblet raising it to his lips, she turned and left for her office, no doubt to summon the Headmaster.

Harry's thoughts swirled around his head. Yesterday … the Hogwarts Express, it seemed like so long ago, not just a day. Concentrating, Harry recalled that he had been talking to his friends and then Malfoy happened. Suppressing a groan, he narrowed his eyes as he tried to remember. Malfoy was being his usual arrogant self, and … he was blaming him for his father's imprisonment. Merlin! They'd started to duel, ha! Well if you call throwing one hex each a duel, and then … then, the _portkey_! Harry's eyes widened as he remembered the portkey Remus had given him before he had left Order Headquarters. Harry quickly scanned the rest of the room but saw no other occupants and so assumed that the others had not been hurt. He felt a small jolt when he realised that whatever Malfoy had sent his way had probably caused him to lose consciousness, but shook the feeling off. Now was not the time to wonder on that, especially as he heard footsteps approaching the Hospital Wing.

Looking expectantly to the door, he was not that surprised to see that it was Professor Dumbledore walking towards him. Harry thought Dumbledore seemed somewhat more tired than normal, but shrugged the feeling off, after all the old wizard had many things to worry about; Voldemort, the Order, and of course the start of a new school year. Even so, Harry noticed that the Dumbledore's blue eyes were still twinkling.

Harry greeted the older wizard with a neutral look. "Headmaster" he said, after all what with the events from his Fifth year and Dumbledore keeping the Prophesy from him, Harry was still unsure about his feelings regarding the Headmaster and his behaviour. He acknowledged some of the responsibilities and pressure the old wizard was under, but yet he still couldn't find it in his heart to completely forgive him, even though he had come far in his feelings over the course of the summer.

"Ah, Mr Potter I believe?" asked the Headmaster, peering down at Harry over his glasses.

Harry looked at the wizard thinking that he'd finally gone mad. "Yes sir" he replied, confusion evident in his voice.

"Related to James Potter I assume?" Dumbledore continued. The Headmaster seemed nonplussed at the incredulous look he received from Harry, who was completely confused at the questioning tone of the older wizard's statements. 

"Of course I damn well am", started Harry in an angry voice. His small resentment and confusion regarding Dumbledore's behaviour, both past and present, caused him to lose his temper. "Why are you asking me this? You know perfectly well that I'm Harry Potter and that James Potter was my father, everyone knows this! Who are you? What is going on?" he asked, green eyes glinting with anger. 

"Ah, well that is interesting" muttered Dumbledore while stroking his long white beard. Harry watched incredulously as the older wizard became silent as he thought about what he had just heard, his confusion increasing with each second that passed. Finally Dumbledore seemed to decide on something and turned his gaze back onto Harry, who was still sitting on the bed. "So Mr Potter, could you tell me how you got here?"

Harry frowned as he answered, "By portkey. Professor, don't you remember? You made it for me in case there was an attack during the train journey, it would bring me straight to Hogwarts".

"I'm afraid I didn't-" Dumbledore started, but was cut off by a frantic Harry.

"What do you mean? You didn't make the portkey? But … but, you must have, I wouldn't have…" Harry trailed off, Remus had definitely said the Headmaster had made it, and he knew Remus wouldn't lie. '_What is going on!_' 

Taking advantage of Harry's silence, the Headmaster began to explain. "Now Mr Potter, if you waited to hear me out, I was about to say that I didn't make this portkey for you, well not yet. I believe you are from the future".

Harry blinked.

He was aware that the Headmaster was waiting for some sort of reaction, but Harry was numb. He tried to process what he had just heard. _He was in the past_. Not 1996, but Merlin knows when! 'Well it can't be too long ago, less than 50 years' he mused in the small part of his brain what was still working despite the shock. 'After all, when I went into Riddle's diary, Dumbledore hair wasn't white like it is now. Besides he knows my father!' That thought seemed to lift the shock surrounding Harry. 'He knows my father, so that must mean he's alive, right? Please let me be right. My mother too, and Sirius! Merlin, Sirius would be alive as well. This is … it's … no, it can't be true. It isn't, I can't hope, I just can't. What have I got myself into!'

Harry tried several attempts to get a sentence out of his dry mouth before finally succeeding. "I'm sorry Professor, but could you repeat that? I don't think I heard you correctly".

Dumbledore did not seem surprised at the request and repeated his statement. "Mr Potter, I believe you are in the past. The date today is September 2nd, 1976".

Harry shook his head, trying desperately to clear his thoughts. 'Come on Harry!' he chastised. 'We don't have time for you to act like a fish'. He looked at Dumbledore, frowning as he attempted to sort out the jumble of thoughts in his head. "So, it's 1976, the start of the new school year? I've somehow managed to travel 20 years into the past? How-, how did I get here then? I thought you could only travel through time with a Time-Turner" asked Harry.

The Headmaster raised his eyebrow in surprise at the mention of the device. "You know about Time-Turners?"

"Yes", Harry said slowly, recalling the events of his Third Year, when they had rescued Sirius. Forcing aside the surge of conflicting emotions regarding his godfather, he instead focused on what Hermione had told him. **Nobody was supposed to change time**, it was one of the most important wizarding laws. He couldn't tell anyone what happens in the future, no matter what. 

He looked at Dumbledore, who looked concerned at the sad expression on Harry's face. 'If I didn't know about the Prophesy, maybe I wouldn't have cared quite so much, but I can't do what I want to. I have to do what is best for everyone else, no matter what it costs me. But damn it, _it isn't fair_!' Blinking rapidly to stop the tears from falling, Harry continued, "I've had dealings with one before. However, I didn't use a Time-Turner, so how did I manage to get here?"

Dumbledore clearly saw the sadness in Harry's green eyes but the boy's posture had stopped him from prying to deeply. He sighed before answering, "I'm afraid then that I'm at a bit of a loss. I don't suppose you could tell me what happened just before you arrived here, perhaps we can discover something".

Harry closed his eyes, picturing the events of the previous day and retold the events carefully without mentioning any names. He told Dumbledore about the portkey and how it was keyed to activate. He mentioned that he had been forced to defend himself from a fellow student and how he had fallen and then the portkey had automatically activated and he realised that he had arrived in the Entrance Hall before falling unconscious. 

The Headmaster listened patiently and when Harry had finished, he spent a few minutes considering what he had heard. Finally, he cleared his throat and said "I shall have to do some research into what happened, but at the moment I'm afraid that I don't know how you managed to travel here. I have even less of one regarding how to get you back to your correct time, which I believe is 1996?" Upon seeing Harry's affirmative nod, he carried on, "I warn you now Mr Potter that it may take a while. I will try and give it priority, but I hope you understand that I have many other commitments, so it may take a while to return you to the correct period".

"Professor? What about using a Time-Turner though?" Harry interrupted, Pausing for a moment, he continued with "I know there are several at the Department of Mysteries. Maybe I could use one of them?"

Harry noticed that the Headmaster's face betrayed his surprise. "Mr Potter, how is it that you know what can be found in that particular Department? I do believe it is supposed to be top-secret".

Harry blushed at the tone of the question before remembering how he had learnt about what went on in the Department of Mysteries. Slowly and answering carefully, Harry said "Something happened at the end of last year, it's still … painful. I lost someone, someone really close to me and it was _my_ fault. I … I endangered my friends and several others going to the Ministry of Magic to save him, but it was a trap and he…" Harry trailed off, blinking rapidly as he fought to retain his composure. "We fought in some of the rooms in the Department of Mysteries, which is how I know what I do, bu-, but it was all for nothing! He still died!" he finished, a single tear falling from his eyes. As soon as he realised, Harry angrily wiped the tear away.

Looking up at the Headmaster, Harry saw sympathy in the blue eyes and although anger flowed through Harry, he realised that _this_ Dumbledore wasn't the one who had kept the Prophesy from him, that he wasn't to blame. Harry was in turmoil, this was all too strange, unbelievable. Harry wasn't at all sure what to think, to feel anymore.

Dumbledore watched as several emotions flew across the boy's face as he told his story. It was obvious the boy had gone through a terrible ordeal, but there was something that intrigued the old wizard. There was pain and loss, but also bravery, courage and love. He had a feeling that young Mr Potter would prove to be very interesting indeed. Giving him a few moments to compose himself, the Headmaster said "I'm sorry about the death of your friend". 

Ignoring the narrowing of those green eyes, he continued. "As for using a Time-Turner to return to your time. I'm afraid that they are only used for travelling a few hours. If you were to try and travel 20 years into the future, well I cannot predict what would happen. Time-Turners are only stable for short periods of time, the longer the 'jump', the more unstable the travel. You may perhaps not even travel 20 years, but overshoot that by many years instead. It is too dangerous. No, we shall find some other way. I believe the portkey is significant and will start my work there. I do not suppose you still have it?"

Harry remembered that he had put the portkey in his trouser pocket the previous day and so handed it over to the Headmaster, who examined it for something that Harry could not tell before putting it in his robe. "Now Mr Potter … Harry?" Dumbledore started. "I need to know a bit about you. I presume that you will be continuing your schooling while you remain here, so would you mind answering a few of my questions?"

"No sir" replied Harry.

"How old are you?"

"16, I would be entering my Sixth Year".

"James Potter is your father then?"

Harry sighed. He knew he had to tell the Headmaster certain events, but the problem was that he might inadvertently end up revealing more than he wanted to. Slowly he began to explain. "Professor Dumbledore, I'm not entirely sure what to do here, obviously since I know certain events, and I can't reveal specific information for fear that I'll change the future". Harry let out a short bitter laugh before continuing. "Even though I'd love to change the future, you … well, in the future you taught me certain things, and I realise that things _have_ to happen a certain way".

Dumbledore did not interrupt Harry, instead remaining standing silently. Taking a calming breath, Harry continued, hoping that he was doing the right thing. "My parents are James and Lily Potter, I don't see the harm in telling you that. They were … they died the same night I got this scar" and he parted his hair, so that the Headmaster could get a clearer look. 

Harry saw Dumbledore move closer and felt his fingers approach this forehead but before they made contact, he let his hair fall back and leaned back slightly. Dumbledore in response took a step back before saying, "That is a curse scar. How did you get that? They usually occur when a powerful curse fails?"

"I can't tell you I'm afraid" answered Harry, having been caught in the old wizard's gaze. Harry took a breath, about to continue with his explanation when he felt a small presence in his mind. It felt strangely familiar. Within the space of a second, Harry had brought the barrier in his mind up to its maximum strength and pushed the invading touch out with a mental shove. Confident that the barrier would not be broken anytime soon, he glared at the shocked Headmaster.

"I would appreciate it if you would _not_ try that again", said Harry in a quiet voice, anger lacing the tone in which he addressed Dumbledore. "I learnt Occlumency this summer due to visions from Voldemort all last year, which ended in the death of my godfather. I had to put up with a teacher who preferred to humiliate me, rather than teach me anything worthwhile in protecting my mind. I do not want you, or Voldemort, or _anyone else_ prying into my mind!"

Harry glared at Dumbledore until he uttered an apology for his behaviour. Still slightly angry with the older wizard, but nonetheless understanding that it was his nature, after all, Harry could recall several situations where he unknowingly had his memories searched. Harry made a conscious effort to rein in his anger, knowing that he had lost control seconds ago. 

After several tension-laden moments, Harry carried on. "That happened many years ago, and I was sent to live with relatives. At 11, I started at Hogwarts and each year has been anything but normal. I should probably warn you", Harry said with a wry grin, "trouble seems to follow me no matter what".

"As it does to most teenagers, though I would say you are following in your father's footsteps in that regard" replied Dumbledore, the twinkle reappearing in his eyes.

Harry shook his head, a small frown on his face. "No, I doubt it. My trouble tends to be more inclined to people trying to kill me, rather than pranks".

Harry saw Dumbledore raise an eyebrow at his statement, most likely trying to figure out why someone would want to kill me he mused. He was brought out of his thoughts by the Headmaster's next question. "Mr Potter? Harry. You do not have to answer this if you do not wish to, but you made several mentions of Voldemort. Is he still 'alive' then from when you came from? Have you met him?"

Harry closed his eyes. This was a question that Harry did not want to answer, but at the same time, he felt that he had to reassure the Headmaster in some way. "I don't know what to tell you. He … disappeared for a while. He had gone, I don't know how but somehow it happened. Then the summer before last, there was a ritual of some sort, and Voldemort returned. The Ministry of Magic was somewhat late in acknowledging his return but luckily, you and the Order were already working against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. As for your second question, you may have noticed that I say his name when so many of my friends are afraid to. I do not fear the name anymore. Yes I have met him several times, but that is something that I do not think you need to know right now ".

Harry finally opened his eyes and noted that the Headmaster was again wearing a face filled with shock. "My dear boy", he said. "You do keep coming out with the most surprising things, information that you should not know about. How much do you know about the Order? After all, it is supposed to be a secret to everyone except the members".

"Actually I don't know all that much, and what I know I can't tell you. Not that what I know is all that appropriate in this time, or I can't tell you in case it changes the future!" he said, frustration evident in Harry's face.

Harry saw Dumbledore smile under his white beard. "Well Harry, it does seem that you are in a rather unique position. I cannot tell you to do this or that after all, I myself must remain ignorant of events that occur in the future as well. What I would suggest is that you refuse to answer anything that _you_ are not comfortable revealing, and to just do what you think is right. What is meant to happen will happen, and you must meet it when it does, there is no point in worrying about it. I'm sorry if it does not comfort you, but it is the only advice I have".

Harry felt the burden lighten slightly, though thoughts of the future still weighed heavily on his mind. Smiling slightly, he continued. "I would be starting my Sixth Year since I took my OWLs last summer". Quickly Harry informed Dumbledore of his grades and the subjects he had chosen to study to NEWT level.

"Mr Potter, you have only informed me of 5 electives: Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, DADA, and Magical Creatures" said Dumbledore. "We currently ask most Sixth Years to take six electives, only those with difficulties take five, and with your grades, I would recomment that you choose another subject".

"Oh, I didn't realise" apologised Harry. "Well at least I can definitely drop Divination" he mused, ignoring the twinkle in the Headmaster's blue eyes. "I'm not particularly keen on continuing with History either. I had thought of training to become an Auror after school so Professor McGonagall suggested the first four subjects. Professor Dumbledore? Do you have any advice? I could take Herbology or Astronomy, although I did get a higher grade in Herbology"

"Well Mr Potter, I'm not sure. Perhaps I could offer you another option" he said. Harry's curiosity was piqued, _another subject?_ "This year, we are offering a new NEWT level subject" Dumbledore continued, "in Healing. It is as it sounds; a course in treating injuries and illnesses. It is not so in depth as the training you would receive to become a Mediwizard, but you will learn much of the basic skills and treatments as well as a few of the more advanced ones. The course will also teach you both magical and muggle methods of Healing, and how to treat combat injuries, especially in these dangerous times. To take it, we require at least two 'Outstanding' out of DADA, Transfiguration, Charms, or Potions. Although a high Herbology grade is recommended, it isn't necessary".

Harry perked up significantly as he listened to the Headmaster explain the new course, and when he finished, Harry knew that he would definitely be interested in the subject. "Sir, if it's not too late, I would like to take Healing as my sixth elective" he asked with a smile. Then suddenly he remembered his belongings. "Professor! My things, my trunk? I don't know what happened. I think I fell onto my trunk when the portkey activated, but I don't see it! What will I do for supplies?"

"Ah, not to worry there. Your trunk and owl arrived with you. Your trunk is currently in my office and your owl is in the Owlery I believe. Regarding your coursebooks for your NEWT subjects, don't worry about them, I'll sort that out for you. You should get them in a few days. Now, what House are you in?"

Harry smiled proudly as he said "Gryffindor sir".

"Wonderful. I'll let Professor McGonagall know that you'll be joining her House and she'll sort out your timetable. I believe you'll be joining your parents in the Sixth Year. Now I must caution you, as I'm sure you have already realised. The less they know the better. Unfortunately, we cannot let it be known that you are from the future and are James Potter's son. Which reminds me, I shall have to place a small obscuring charm on your trunk. That is after all, how I realised your identity after meeting with James last night. We'll keep the Harry though, but we'll need a surname that won't arouse any suspicion, as well as a background for how you suddenly appeared…"

**********

Harry sat on the bed in the Hospital Wing after getting changed into clean robes, which a house-elf had brought him twenty minutes ago. Dumbledore had left around 45 minutes before, after they had worked out the basic details of Harry's 'cover' story. Harry was becoming more and more nervous as he waited for someone to escort him. He was in the same time-period as his parents, as well as Sirius and Remus. He still couldn't believe it! He probably wouldn't until he saw them with his own eyes. Even then, he couldn't act like he knew them; he had to pretend to be a transfer student. Harry sighed, thinking how hard this was going to be, but still he knew it was worth it. He would be able to discover what his parents were really like. Not someone else's memories or taunts, but the real thing.

The door to the Hospital Wing suddenly opened, jerking Harry from his thoughts. Looking at who had entered the room, he noticed that it was his Transfiguration teacher, Professor McGonagall. "Ah, there you are. You gave us quite the shock yesterday young man. I'm Professor McGonagall and I'll be your Transfiguration teacher. I'm also the Head of House for Gryffindor, which the Headmaster has informed me you have been sorted into".

"Yes Professor" replied Harry, standing up, more than ready to leave the Hospital Wing.

"Well then if you'll follow me, I'll show you how to get to the Gryffindor Tower and introduce you to some of your housemates. I hope that they can answer any questions you may have regarding the school", she said as they started walking towards the Tower. "If you do have any other questions or problems, you can come and talk to me and the Headmaster has also asked me to pass the same offer on from himself.

"Your trunk has already been sent up to the boy's Sixth Year dorm. Your current roommates are James Potter", she continued, casting a quick look as she mentioned his father's name. "Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. The Prefects for your Year are Lily Evans and Remus Lupin. However, most of the students are actually outside today, since it's a Sunday and there are no classes, but hopefully there will be someone still in the Tower".

After another couple of minutes navigating the various stairs, Professor McGonagall and Harry eventually found themselves outside the portrait of the Fat Lady. Harry hid his impatience, remembering that he wasn't supposed to know, when McGonagall explained that he would need to know the current password to enter the Tower, which was currently '_Tempus Fugi_t'.

Harry entered the familiar common room, a step behind his teacher, who was already walking towards a small group sat in the corner of the room. Harry felt himself blushing slightly as he looked at his 16-year-old father. Sitting next to him was Sirius, who looked as Harry had seen in Snape's memory. Once again, Harry noted that he looked much better than the older Sirius, obviously Azkaban had a more permanent effect on his looks. Harry was almost overwhelmed at the emotions flowing through him as he looked at the two boys, but all thoughts ceased by the shock of seeing a much younger Remus, who was lounging on a couch next to Sirius. Remus who still had those wonderful amber eyes, but had light brown hair which fell to his shoulders. There was no trace of grey at all, and his face was younger and there were fewer lines. He looked happy. 

Unwillingly, Harry's green eyes moved to Peter. _The betrayer, the Death Eater_. Harry felt the hate he felt for the rat rise up, but with a struggle, he pushed it back down. Peter had technically done nothing to make Harry hate him, yet. Even so, Harry knew that he would never be able to be friends with him, the knowledge of the future tainting everything. '_Oh this is not going to be easy_' Harry thought. '_My dead dad, my godfather who I pretty much murdered, my friend the werewolf who lost all his friends, and one of the people I hate the most in the world, my parent's betrayer. Oh yes, this **is** definitely not going to be easy_'.

Harry was so preoccupied in scrutinising his 'new school friends', he did not notice that he was also the object of much examination himself. James, Sirius, and Remus had instantly recognised him from the previous night, while Peter was meeting him for the very first time. Harry became aware that McGonagall was talking to the four boys, warning them not to do anything that may cause them to lose house points. McGonagall then introduced the four boys to Harry. Harry nodded when introduced to Peter, successfully hiding the hate in his eyes. Harry gave Sirius and Remus a shy smile and when he was introduced to James, the two just stared at each other for a moment.

"Right" drawled Harry, before he grinned at James. "I guess we'll be getting this a lot, right?" Rolling his eyes, he held out his hand and introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Harry Granger. I guess you're James Potter from what little I've already heard. The Headmaster mentioned the likeness between us".

Harry waited nervously as he saw James' hazel eyes narrow slightly, as if he was sizing him up. Then without warning, James jumped up and grabbed his hand in a firm handshake. "Nice to meet you Harry. You're right, I'm James, and I agree. You _do_ look like me".

"Are you sure you two aren't related?" asked Remus, a small frown on his face.

Harry took a breath. He hated having to lie especially to Remus, but he knew it was necessary. "I'm afraid I'm not. At least I don't believe so. My parents died when I was very young and a muggle family took me in. I don't know who my parents were unfortunately, except they were both magical. The muggles who took me in didn't know about magic either. I've lived in South Africa for as long as I can remember and that's where I had my first five years of schooling" he said, telling them the cover story he had concocted with the Headmaster.

The four boys looked at him with sympathy in their eyes. "I'm sorry" said Remus softly, echoed by Sirius and James. Professor McGonagall, who had been standing silently the entire time, cleared her throat. Talking to the four boys, but especially directing her comments to Remus, she asked them to show Harry how to get around the school and to help him get to classes. After getting their agreement, she left Harry alone with the four boys.

Harry began to notice that he was the object of much scrutiny from several strangers. Although there were few people still inside this sunny afternoon, Harry began to blush, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the attention. James, noticing the stares and Harry's subsequent behaviour, suggested that they all go up to their dorm until it was time for dinner. Harry followed the slightly taller boy up the stairs until they reached the room labelled 'Sixth Year'. Walking in, he saw that his trunk had indeed been brought up. Harry mentally noted that his bed was closest to the door. It looked like he was to sleep in the bed opposite James, and next to Remus. Sirius' bed was next to James, while Peter's was on the other side of Remus'' bed.

Harry sat on his bed, and after a few seconds, James and Peter sat down next to him, while Remus and Sirius sat opposite them on Remus' bed. The atmosphere was slightly tense and Harry could sense that the four boys were desperate to bombard him with questions. He sighed quietly, and with a small smile he said "Go ahead, hit me".

Taking up the offer, Sirius jumped in. "So Harry. Why is it that you look so much like James here? I mean, you're not identical or anything, but it's kind of odd".

"I really am going to be asked this a lot aren't I?" complained Harry, but the smile on his face showing his good humour. "I don't know why? Is it the hair?"

"Well both of you do have rather uncontrollable hair it seems" Remus replied.

"Hey! My hair isn't all that bad!" said James with an injured look.

"Yes it is James" laughed Sirius. "The only time I've seen it behave was that time when we stuck a galleon of Sleekeasy on it!"

"I still haven't forgiven you for that!" said James.

"Maybe not, but you did get revenge" Remus reminded him. "Remember, you hexed Sirius so he couldn't write for a week".

Harry laughed at the indignant look that formed on Sirius' face and the smug grin on James'. "Why do I get a feeling" he started, "that you four like practical jokes?"

He knew he had broken some of the tension with that comment, because all their faces lit up. James sat up slightly straighter as he replied, "Pranks? We love them, it's almost like a job for us!" 

"Especially the Slytherins. They make the best targets!" said Sirius, a huge grin on his face.

"It's usually left to me to try and rein these two in, not that they ever listen to me" Remus sighed, a defeated look on his face, but he was betrayed by the amused look in his eyes.

"Ha! Come on Remus, admit it, you enjoy them just as much! Besides you've played your fair share of pranks as well" replied Sirius. Turning back to Harry, he asked, "So Harry, are you a prankster?"

"Well, I don't think I'm much of one, but then I've not really had the opportunity to prank people I guess" he said slowly. "However, my best mate's brothers were pranksters and they were absolutely brilliant at it so I've picked up a few things. I wouldn't mind playing some harmless pranks" offered Harry, a playful look on his face.

"Great! I can't wait!" replied Sirius. Harry was astonished. The older Sirius had never been _this _exuberant. There was always a small amount of sadness in his eyes, as if he still relived the nightmares of the Dementors. This Sirius, with his black hair falling in front of sparkling blue eyes, had no such experiences to deal with, was still innocent. Well as innocent as Sirius Black ever was, Harry presumed. He could see the happiness shining through those eyes. Once more, he silently grieved for what had happened to Sirius, but at the same time felt almost powerless to stop things happening the same way.

Peter, who mentioned that it was time for dinner, suddenly brought him out of his thoughts. The five boys left the dorm, Remus explaining on their way down that they would be happy to show him around, how to get to classes and such, for the next few days. At least until he got used to the school and it's peculiarities. Harry graciously agreed, knowing he had to try and keep up the pretence of being an ignorant transfer student, but otherwise basking in the joy that James, Sirius, and Remus surrounded him. That he could get to know them before tragedy struck. 

It was not until he was just outside the Great Hall that he realised that he would finally get to meet his mother, Lily Evans. Gathering his courage and resolve, he followed the four boys into the Great Hall.

**********

Notes:

Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. I hadn't expected to be away for so long, and then I got ill. But I'm better now, and my muse came back, and AJ helped me out with a small problem that had got me stuck, so really big thanks there! 

You may have noticed that some of the things I said were going to be in chapter aren't. The reason is that the first part by itself is over 8500 words, so it's quite hefty by itself. I decided to split the chapter up, so the next one will include Harry's new NEWT lessons, the prank, and Quidditch! 

Many thanks to **Facade1**, **Arsinoe**, **Darth Koltaram**, **Vicious Lily**, **DUDE**, **VLBVLB**, **Julianna5**, **Lady Cinnibar**, **Cestari**, **ping*pong5**, **Patricia Black**, **Kitsune Girl**, **Minnie**, **Hyperbole**, **Megz2**, **Witchy-Athea**, **Necromant**, **Romm**, **Lily**, **Jania**, **Elfy19**, **quantum**, **Piper of Locksley**, **Rakshasa**, **penny**, **Susan Bischoff**, **Alynna Lis Eachann**, **HarryGryffinGirl**, **Elisabeth Potter**, **gaul1**, and **Aku Soku Zan87**.

Extra special thanks to **Firesword **and **Acacia Jules** for their help and ideas, especially when I get stuck!

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Acacia Jules -Harry didn't hear what curse Draco threw at him. He was distracted by the taunts about Sirius as well as thinking of a spell to defend/attack Draco with. I just want to say thank you again, and please update your new fic, please? You can put off the newspaper-length review for the next chapter if you want, I think you might want to as I'm sure you'll love it (I hope!)

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DUDE -Thank you so much for your lovely comments. I'll try to remember to e-mail you with updates. If enough people ask me, I may sort something out, but I'll wait and see. I must, however, respectively disagree regarding HarryTonks. I think it's more believable and preferable to pairing poor Harry with Luna, or god forbid Ginny!

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Ping*pong5 - I hope the wait wasn't too unbearable and I apologise again for making you wait so long *_hides under bed in case reviewers start throwing things at me!_* I still haven't decided whether the creature in the Egg will become Harry's familiar or not. After all, I must consider Hedwig's feelings, and she does seem slightly possessive, don't you think?

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Witch-Athea - Thank you. These long chapters are fantastic to read, but they take a hell of a lot to write. I have so much more respect for authors now that I did before, especially those who write incredibly brilliant long pieces. Nor did I realise that I could write this much either. My notes make me think that the scene won't be that long, but then I put fingers to the keyboard, and well, you can see how much I write! I sit here and worry that most of its irrevalent, but as long as the reviewers like it, I'll try and keep it up.

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Necromant - Yes it is. Congratulations! Now if you can work out my Christmas surprise for Harry? Then I'd be completely floored.

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Romm - Regarding the WWW sweets and that curse Draco threw. Hmmm, close but no cigar, sorry. I agree, I've read a few fics where Harry's belongings suddenly appear out of thin air, or he just doesn't bother about it. I hate that, so I definitely made sure Harry has everything he need, including those _leather trousers_! I'm surprised at the comments regarding Harry and Tonks as sibs. I've fallen in love with it as well. I will say this, this isn't the end of the sibs!

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Jania -I'm glad you enjoyed the humour. I think it's important to have a healthy dose of humour in fic, as well as in life. I was slightly worried that readers wouldn't pick up on my slightly bizarre sense of humour. I still remember sitting in the theatre watching The Two Towers and laughing at the fight scenes with a couple of my mates, and **no one **else was laughing. I definitely left the movie thinking I was strange! This chapter was slightly more serious, but I promise to bring the funny back in the next chapter!

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Elfy19 -I must disagree. I can see HarryTonks, but I can agree to disagree on this. I do agree that Tonks **rules**! She is the best female role model, in my opinion, so far in the Hpverse, if you forget the clumsy factor, but then, its so cute!

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penny - 50 chapters?!! I think my fingers would fall off! I don't plan on it being that long, it more like 20-25 at the moment. So far, I've planned most things until the end of the year, and I'll reveal now that there's a huge life changing moment in March.

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Susan Bischoff - Thank you very much for your lovely comments, but I was under the impression that Sugerquills was only for het fiction. Anyway, thanks for saying it's good enough to post there, it makes this all worth it.

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Elisabeth Potter - Thank you. I have read you time-travel fic and I thought it was great. The sequel isn't quite my cup of tea though (HPGW bleugh!) but I still like what I've read.

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Aku Soku Zar87 - Yes, Harry is paired off with someone, but it's a mystery at the moment, though you are more than welcome to guess. I don't want to give it away just yet, but some readers have guessed already.

I apologise in advance for any mistakes, spelling, grammatical or otherwise. It is all my fault since this is unbeta'd. Please **review (long is good!) **and send any helpful comments, all will be appreciated. Any flames, however, will be, in all honesty, read then disregarded. Thank you for reading!

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SStar


	5. Decisions: Part 1

Comments: e-mail at sstar_luna@yahoo.co.uk or Review button below.

Rating: PG-13 for now, may change later. Will be **slash** later in the story: HP/?, JP/LE

Spoilers: Books 1-5. Do not read unless you have FINISHED _The Order of the Phoenix_.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot. All Harry Potter™ characters and settings are the sole intellectual property of JK Rowling, Warner Bros. and various others who all aren't connected to me in any way. No money is being made with this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

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Chapter 5: Decisions (Part 1)

James padded across the room and began to shake the sleeping boy awake. After a few moments, a small groan was heard and James saw sleepy blue eyes peer back at him. "Padfoot!" he whispered. "Shush. Hurry up and get up, we need to have a talk. Come on!" James waited for his best friend to get out of his bed before the two of them walked back to James' bed, where Remus and Peter were already waiting. Both boys, who had also just been woken up, were rubbing the remnants of sleep from their eyes.

"James!" moaned Sirius. "Why did you have to get us up this early? It should be made illegal!"

James gave him an absent wave of the hand and sat down at the head of the bed, looking at his friends. Quietly he started to speak, "It's about Harry. And Remus". Seeing the confused look on Peter's face, he further explained, "What are we going to do during the full moon? We certainly can't tell Harry about Remus' condition. Firstly, it's Remus' secret to tell and secondly, we don't know how he'll react. It's too much of a risk. Then on top of that, Harry can't find out that we are animagi. Illegal ones at that".

Remus agreed with James. "I know Harry seems like a nice person, what we know about him that is, but it's just that not everybody will react like you guys did. What if he thinks I'm a dangerous beast? If Harry knew, he could easily get me thrown out of Hogwarts. Besides, he could report you to the Ministry. You could even be sent to Azkaban for becoming illegal animagi!" he said. "I don't think Harry would though, he seems too nice for that, but I think it's safer not to take the risk".

Sirius, who had an uncharacteristic pensive look on his face, just shrugged his shoulders in agreement. James privately thought that he should have tried to find some tea for his best friend to wake him up properly. Peter on the other hand was trembling, most likely at the thought of being discovered to being an illegal animagus. 

James agreed with Remus, Harry did seem like a likeable person, but he couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that there was much more to him than he had revealed. He hadn't yet confronted Harry about that first night when James had seen him lying unconscious in the Hospital Wing. Sirius, Remus, and himself had agreed to keep silent about it, but James knew that all of them were curious as to why the Headmaster did not seem to know who Harry had been at the time. Then there was the fact that there was a strange similarity between the two of them. At dinner last night Sirius and several other students at the Gryffindor table had commented on how alike they were in appearance. James had the feeling that life had just got a lot more interesting now that Harry had arrived, before he was brought out of his musing by Peter.

"Umm guys?" he asked, fingers fiddling with his robe. "Should we be talking here, I mean he's in his bed. Won't he be able to hear us talking?"

"No Wormtail" began Remus. "Last night, before he fell asleep I heard him cast silencing spells around his bed area. I doubt that he could hear a thing until he takes them down" he explained. 

"Why does he need a silencing spell?" asked Peter.

"No idea. Maybe he talks in his sleep about the embarrassing things that have happened to him, and he doesn't want us to know about it?" replied Sirius sarcastically. "Why do you think people use silencing spells? Especially when they're about to go to sleep? He probably has nightmares or something and doesn't want us to hear or even know about them".

"Good point" agreed James, "Nevertheless it's fortunate for us, since he won't hear us talking. So, we're agreed that we don't tell him anything. If he _does_ find out, well … we'll cross that bridge when or if we come to it".

"Besides, there's always Professor Dumbledore" Remus pointed out.

"True. However, what do we tell Harry? The full moon is next week. We'll need to distract him somehow", Peter asked.

"I think we should wait and see, if there's an opportunity we'll use it. Otherwise, we could use one of Remus' old excuses? I doubt Harry would become suspicious so soon" James mused.

"Okay. Anyway, we'd better start getting ready soon. It's almost time for breakfast and we'll be getting our new timetables as well. Come on!" exclaimed Remus, as he caught sight of the time. 

Sirius agreed. "We definitely want to make breakfast today" he said, a mischievous look in his eyes. "Don't we Prongs?"

Remus walked back to his area shaking his head. "I don't want to know. Really I don't" he muttered under his breath. Sighing he turned around and looked at the two grinning boys. "It's Snape isn't it?" Receiving no reply, Remus shook his head at their behaviour while successfully hiding his smile at the same time. Instead, he approached Harry's bed intending on waking the sleeping boy.

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Harry felt as if he was still in a dream as he followed Sirius and Remus down to the Great Hall for breakfast. The previous night had been anything but restful for him. Memories and dreams, from his parents' final words to reliving _that_ day at the Department of Mysteries had plagued Harry all night. He had received several odd looks this morning after he had opened the curtains surrounding his bed. When he had looked in the mirror, Harry realised why the four boys had looked so shocked. He looked terrible. There were light purple bruises under his eyes, which were empathised by the paleness of his skin, and his eyes were red, due to the fact that he had cried several times due to his dreams. Luckily, Harry had remembered to erect silencing spells around his bed, which had stopped his new dorm-mates from hearing his screams, but he was betrayed by the hoarseness of his voice.

The more logical part of his brain, which sounded suspiciously like the older Remus, was telling him that the dreams were a direct result of being confronted with his dead mother, father and godfather, as well as their traitor. The irrational part of him instead insisted that their deaths were his fault and that he deserved the dreams. '_After all, being able to meet and talk to Lily and James surely was too much of a good thing?_' Harry sighed. He wished he could take some dreamless sleep potion before going to sleep, but then he would have to explain why he needed the potion, which would only lead to more questions and he was supposed to be keeping a low profile while he was in the past.

Harry sat next to Remus while James, Sirius, and Peter sat down on the opposite side, facing the Slytherin table. Harry had noticed that James and Sirius were both sporting mischievous grins as they had dressed that morning. Harry wondered whom their victims were this time but knew that whatever they were upto, it was most likely not on the same level as what he had witnessed in Snape's pensive. At least he hoped that was the case. It had taken many conversations with Remus over the summer before he could forget the sheer maliciousness of what his father and Sirius had done to Snape. 

Harry grabbed a single piece of toast and placed a small amount of scrambled eggs on his plate. He began to nibble on the toast, content to sort out his thoughts, letting the conversations around the table pass over him. He thought back to dinner the previous night. He had received many curious looks as he entered the Great Hall, especially after he sat down at the Gryffindor table. Dumbledore had then stood up and introduced Harry as a transfer student who would be entering the Sixth year. 

Harry knew he had turned as red as the Weasleys' hair as everyone in the Hall had turned around to look at him. Slouching slightly he tried to hide his blush, much to the amusement of James and Sirius. Remus had taken pity on him, and instead engaged him in conversation, pointing out certain Professors and students of note. James and Sirius added their comments and regaled stories of pranks they had played against such persons.

It was at dinner that Harry had got his first look at Lily Evans, _his mother_. She had been seated further down the table, sitting with a small group of girls. Harry had discretely managed a look or two, but had been unable to talk to her. He had also noticed several looks aimed at both himself and James. Unsurprisingly several faces at the Slytherin table openly showed their disgust at the new Gryffindor, but then Harry had not expected anything less from them.

The shaking of his arm jerked Harry from his thoughts. Looking up, Harry blushed as he saw Sirius looking at him with a slightly concerned look on his face. Harry apologised. "Sorry Sirius, I was lost in thought. You know, what with being in a new school, lots of strangers and new teachers" he explained with a small shrug.

A corner of Sirius' mouth curled up in amusement, before the concerned look returned. "Harry? Are you ill?" he asked, looking pointedly at Harry's small breakfast. "It's just that you didn't eat all that much last night either, and well you _are_ rather thin".

James nodded in agreement. "There is thin, and then there is _thin_. If you're not feeling well, we'll take you to see Madam Pomfrey and she can give you something to help" he offered.

Harry felt a warm feeling at the concern the teenagers were displaying, but at the same time was embarrassed that they had noticed his lack of appetite. He recalled that at Grimmauld Place, everyone had become used to Harry's lack of appetite and although Mrs Weasley had continually tried to make him eat more, she had rarely succeeded. 

Realising he need to reassure James and Sirius, Harry smiled. "No, it's okay. It's probably due to the travelling. I'll be back to normal soon enough", he explained. Realising that his voice still sounded hoarse, Harry took a sip of pumpkin juice to soothe his throat before adding "Really, don't worry about me".

Although the concern remained evident in their eyes, luckily for Harry, they did not force the issue. Harry decided to change the subject. "Has the post come yet?" he asked.

"Yes, about 10 minutes ago, while you were still in la la land" Remus teased with a smile, having heard the question as he returned to the table. Harry felt a spark of disappointment, he had hoped to see Hedwig and check that she had arrived safely. Deciding to visit her later in the Owlery, he looked back up to see Remus handing out their timetables. Grabbing his, Harry scanned the parchment quickly, noting his subjects for the day. 

Leaving the remainder of his breakfast, he rose from the table intending to return to the Tower and grab his books for the day. Remus rose to accompany him and they had almost reached the large wooden doors when they heard a shout. Looking in the direction the sound had come from, Harry could not help himself. He laughed. The centre of the commotion was no other than a 16-year-old version of the Potions Master, Snape. Harry and Remus joined the many students in filling the Great Hall with laughter, accompanied by several noises of disgust from others. 

It seemed that Snape had ingested a hair-growth potion in his breakfast. He currently sported knee length black hair as well as a substantial beard. The truly disturbing thing was that not only was his hair greasy, but so was his beard! Harry, along with many others students were caught between laughing at Snape or grimacing at the sight. Snape on the other hand, looked truly mortified. Although most of his face was covered in facial hair, a bright red blush was evident on the usually sallow face. However, from anger or embarrassment, Harry could not tell. 

'_Most likely both_', Harry mused. '_I wonder how my dad and Sirius managed to get it into his food?_' Harry definitely did not consider himself big enough to actually feel any sympathy for Snape at that particular moment, especially considering their last _encounter_ at Order Headquarters.

Harry turned his eyes to the Gryffindor table and saw the satisfied looks on both James and Sirius' face, thus confirming Harry's suspicions. From Harry's vantage point, he could see McGonagall approach the two troublemakers, but before he could warn them Remus had taken hold of his elbow and was pulling him out of the Great Hall. 

"Remus!" cried Harry, resisting the movement. "Shouldn't we try to help James and Sirius? It looks like McGonagall is about to give them detention or something?"

Remus kept tugging the black-haired boy forward. "No need" he explained as he made his way to Gryffindor Tower. "I doubt Professor McGonagall will do anything serious to them just yet, it is the start of term after all. She'll probably only tell them off, that is if those two don't charm their way out completely" he said with a chuckle.

Harry followed the werewolf through the corridors of Hogwarts, accepting that Remus knew James and Sirius better than he did. The two boys quickly hurried to their room and grabbed their bags, as well as those of the others before hurrying to their first lesson - Transfiguration. Harry, trying to keep up the pretence of not knowing his way around Hogwarts, followed Remus and only paid the minimum amount of attention to what he was saying. Instead, Harry was thinking about what he had heard about his parents. 

He remembered when he got his wand, how he had been told his father's strength lay with Transfiguration, while his mother had been gifted in Charms. He could feel butterflies in his stomach as he realised that he would be able to see James and Lily practice in their fields first hand. Immediately following this thought was the worry that Harry would be unable to compete on the same level and thus would embarrass himself in front of the others. '_No!_' he promised himself. '_I won't. If I can't do the magic in the lesson, I'll practice and practice until I can. I will not embarrass myself in front of James or Lily, or even Sirius or Remus_'.

Luckily, Harry and Remus arrived at the Transfiguration classroom before the bell had rung for the beginning of class. After they had handed the other bags they had been carrying to their respective owners, James and Sirius quickly informed them that McGonagall had only given them a warning this time, but they felt it had been worth it just to see the look on Snape's face. 

The five teenagers walked into the classroom. Peter had scurried around to take the seat next to James. Sirius, after giving Peter a dirty look, sat down next to Remus, behind Peter and James, while Harry took a seat at the table next to Sirius. Harry was hunched under his table, looking for his quill, when he felt someone sit down next to him. Straightening up to greet the student, Harry's words were suddenly caught in his throat. Lily Evans, _his mum_, had sat down next to him! 

Lily, who decided to say hello, saved Harry the embarrassment of imitating a fish out of water. "I'm Lily Evans. I saw you last night but that lot surrounded you. I doubt you would have noticed me. I'm a Sixth year Gryffindor as well".

Harry smiled. "Hi Lily" he said, "I'm Harry Granger as I'm sure you already know. Pleased to meet you".

"Same here. I thought I'd be late for my first lesson. I had to take a package back to my room you see. My sister hid some of my things and so my mother had to send it by owl post" she explained. "Then one of the stairs changed on me and it took me ages to get back here. I really thought I'd get into trouble, but luckily I got here with a little time to spare. Anyway enough about my troubles, what subjects are you taking Harry?"

Feeling slightly sorry for his mother when he heard what Aunt Petunia had done he smiled sympathetically at her. "Lucky I'm an only child I suppose" he said. "I'm taking DADA, Potions, Charms, Magical Creatures and Healing as well as this. What about you?"

"Mostly the same as you actually" she replied. "Instead of Magical Creatures I'm taking Runes. I don't really have a large affinity for animals unfortunately. It's interesting enough with just my owl".

Harry chuckled at the forlorn look on her face, which caused Lily to smile, but the entrance of Professor McGonagall stopped any further conversation between the two. The Professor, after glaring at James and Sirius, told the class that they were going to do a quick review of their OWL studies. After handing out several items, she told them to transform the white mouse into a cat, the quill into a vase and to make the goblet disappear. Reminding them that points would be awarded for creativity, she set the students to work. 

Harry looked at the three objects and decided to tackle the goblet first. Taking a few moments to compose himself, Harry held his wand and searched his memory for the correct spell. Miraculously, or perhaps due to the extensive reading Harry had done over the summer, he managed to perform the Vanishing spell successfully on his goblet, causing it to disappear on his first attempt. 

Harry then decided to tackle the mouse. It was halfway through the lesson when he had finally managed to transform the mouse into a similarly snow white kitten. The only thing that disturbed Harry was that the kitten had red eyes. He had tried several times to change the colour but had not succeeded. Harry unconsciously shivered as he looked at the cat, remembering Voldemort's blood red eyes. 

Harry pushed the feeling aside and focused on turning his quill into a vase. His first attempt was rather poor he thought. Admittedly, he had created a basic cylindrical shape, but the _vase_ was covered with small feathers. Harry grimaced. He tried to reverse the transfiguration, but in his haste, he managed to only further stabilise the transformation, thus unable to transfigure it back into its original shape. Harry sighed and decided to see how the rest of the class was doing with the tasks.

He noticed that Professor McGonagall was standing in front of James, a disapproving look on her face. James it seemed had finished his transfigurations and had been chatting to Sirius when McGonagall had caught him. Before he could lose any points, he said "But Professor, I've finished! You didn't assign us to do anything else so I was merely discussing with Sirius here, what would be an appropriate item to conjure. After all, it is still Transfiguration. Surely you wouldn't penalise us for that?" he asked, hazel eyes wide in an attempt to convince the Professor that he was sincere. 

"And pray Mr Potter, what did you decide upon?" she asked, her tone clearly saying she didn't believe a word.

Rather than tell McGonagall, Harry saw James flick his wand he conjured a bunch of yellow roses and placed them in the Vase. With a smirk, James presented the vase, complete with roses, to his shocked Professor. Harry was impressed that James had managed to conjure up the roses, especially when McGonagall had told him Conjuring was NEWT level work. It seemed he was not the only one, for the attention of the entire class was now on James and McGonagall. After a few seconds of silence, she managed to regain her senses and awarded Gryffindor 10 points before moving onto a Ravenclaw student. Harry's attention was still on his father who had turned round to help Peter, who was also struggling with his quill transfiguration and still had to Vanish his goblet. 

A nudge in his side drew his attention to Lily, who cast a disdainful look towards James before turning her attention onto Harry. "That Potter! I don't know", she said, shaking her head. "He's incredibly gifted at Transfiguration, Black too, but all they seem to do is show off in lessons, eventually distracting everyone from their work" she complained.

"I doubt they're really that bad. Perhaps you just need to get to know them better" suggested Harry, feeling pained at the dislike that coloured Lily's tone.

"Just you wait and see. I'm sure you'll find out for yourself", she warned.

Harry decided there and then that he would do everything he could to at least make Lily like James. '_After all_' he rationalised, '_I'm not actually going to change anything that hasn't already happened, so it doesn't matter all that much. I'm just going to make Lily see James' better characteristics while at the same time make James more likeable, I guess. No problem … none at all_'.

"How are you doing with the review?" he asked after deciding to take the conversation back to safer grounds.

"Not bad, but not well either. Transfiguration isn't really my strongest subject" confessed Lily in an undertone. "I managed to vanish the goblet and I have a vase … well it could pass as a vase I guess" she said, motioning to an object on the desk. To Harry's surprise and amusement, he realised that Lily had attempted to transfigure the quill into a ceramic vase. It was a perfectly fine vase, as long as you didn't intend to put anything larger than a single flower in it. Harry snickered before remembering his own half-finished attempt. 

"At least yours doesn't have feathers sticking out of it!" assured Harry. "Mine's stuck at the moment and I don't have a clue what to do" he moaned. 

Lily looked over and at once recognised what he had been talking about. Harry closed his eyes in shame as Lily began to giggle. "Oh Harry! Sorry, I don't mean to, but look at it. It looks so _cute_!" she said between her giggles. Harry blushed, but nevertheless smiled back at his teenage mother. 

"_Humph!_ At least my kitten is in a better state than yours!" he gloated.

Lily looked down at her kitten, well mouse-kitten hybrid. The kitten still had the ears and tail of a mouse. The poor thing looked rather pitiable. "That's true I suppose" she conceded.

Harry turned back to his sorry excuse for a vase. He cast another spell that increased the length of the vase, but did not manage to get rid of the feathers. Harry let out a silent groan. '_Where was Hermione when you need her!_' Harry poked at the feathers with his wand several times but he was disappointed when nothing happened. Harry stared at his vase, wondering 'i_f I stared at it long enough would the feathers suddenly disappear_' when he felt a tingling at the base of his neck. Glancing around the room, he noticed that Sirius was staring at him. 

"Hey" he said softy, so not to distract Lily or anyone else from their work. "I guess you've finished the review as well?"

"Yeah" replied Sirius just as quietly. "Just after James. I like what you've done" he commented with a small grin.

"Ah yes, the feather thing. I can't seem to get rid of them!" Harry complained. "Transfiguration isn't really my strongest subject as you can probably tell".

"I wouldn't say you're bad at it though" reassured Sirius. "After all you managed to do the other two haven't you?"

"I suppose" Harry admitted.

"Well then!" admonished Sirius. "Don't worry too much about it. Besides, if you're stuck or don't understand something you can come and ask me, I won't bite!" he offered with a wicked smile. Sirius moved his gaze to the vase for a moment before catching Harry's emerald eyes again. "Perhaps you should try a sticking charm on the sides?" he suggested. "Make it look as if you intended to decorate the vase with feathers".

Harry looked at the vase, wondering if the idea would work. Flicking his wand while muttering the incantation for a sticking charm, he saw to his astonishment, the feathers had been glued to the side of his vase. Although not considered pretty by any means, Harry now had a usable vase. With a grateful smile, he thanked Sirius for his help before attempting to get Professor McGonagall's attention so he could inform her he had completed the review work.

**********

"Now in these dark times, I see that all of you have decided to continue with NEWT level Defence Against the Dark Arts. This subject will not only prepare you for the exams in two years time, but may in fact save your life" began Professor Steelfield in a clear strong voice. "I will not tolerate any misbehaviour in this class as we will be working with spells and creatures that could kill you! Now the way that I have planned most lessons will be using the double period lessons for practical work, spells, defences and perhaps even duels, while the single period lessons will be more inclined towards theory" she explained to the silent Sixth Years. Then she quickly went through several key areas they would be covering that year.

As Harry walked with Remus to the Defence classroom, the amber-eyed boy explained that Steelfield was the Head of House for Slytherin. Immediately Harry had voiced his fear that the Professor would favour the Slytherin students above the others in the class, but had been reassured that Steelfield was a fair teacher. As Harry had sat down between James and Remus, he discretely examined his latest in a long line of DADA teachers. According to Remus Steelfield had been teaching at Hogwarts for almost a decade. She was a stern looking lady, whose light brown hair was streaked with grey. Her stone-grey eyes were sharp and Harry suspected they missed very little.

"Today, we'll be looking at Dementors. As you should all know these creatures have recently joined You-Know-Who. We'll be discussing what these creatures are today and then later this term you will attempt to learn how to protect yourselves from their effects" lectured Steelfield. 

Harry shivered in his seat. The Dementors had joined Voldemort. Harry was glad that Sirius was not in his direct line of sight as he brooded. He listened as Steelfield questioned several students about their knowledge regarding the Dementors. 

One of the students she called upon was Remus, whose answer was vaguely reminiscent of what he had told Harry in his Third Year. "Dementors are one of the most disgusting creatures on this planet. They are likely to be found in dark dirty places and although Muggles can't see them, they can still feel their effects" he answered.

Harry looked down at the notes he had made in the lesson, realising that he knew most of the information already. They had just finished discussing likely places where Dementors could be found when Professor Steelfield asked the students "Can anyone here describe what effects the Dementors can cause?"

Noticing the lack of hands, Harry reluctantly raised his own. "Yes … ah, Mr Granger. Could you enlighten the class?"

Harry sombre green eyes became fixed on a point beyond the blackboard. In a dulled tone of voice, he began to explain. "Dementors … they drain all the good things from you. All the peace, happiness … hope. When they approach, you, you … it's like _everything_ disappears. You're surrounded by darkness, as if anything that gives out light has been leeched away. It's like being in some kind of void, no light, no sound, _nothing_" Harry said, a shiver running down his spine as he remembered being trapped with Dudley in that alley with two Dementors the summer before last. 

"The darkness, it's so thick and cold, like ice. It's not just a change in temperature, it's as if your very heart is being frozen, it's… it's horrible. Everywhere, inside and out. You can't escape. They're foul creatures. They don't have eyes you know" he continued as he became lost in his memories. "Just this disgusting scabbed grey skin that's stretched over where the eyes should be. Their mouths, well, it's more of a hole and the air around them is … putrid. When … if they get too close to you, it's like all your senses are dulled. All your worst memories … you can hear things, the worst things that happened in your life. You relive them again and again, until you collapse that is. You're cut off from the rest of the world. This … this white fog surrounds you, you hear, hear…"

Harry trailed off. He did not see the shocked looks of the students in the class, nor did he notice that he was the sole focus of their attentions. So lost was he in his memories. He could feel his father next to him moving in his seat, but at the same time, Harry was also hearing his last words before his death. Realising that he had lapsed into silence, he refocused his eyes on Professor Steelfield and gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "They are really foul creatures and I'd suggest that if you can help it, you would avoid them at all costs".

Harry watched, still slightly detached, as Steelfield shook off her shock and briskly carried on with the lesson. She explained how to counter and defend against the effects of the Dementors and talking about their final weapon, the Kiss. For the rest of the lesson, Harry ignored the curious looks he received from the Marauders as well as those from several other students, including Lily. When the bell finally rang to signal the end of the lesson, Harry shot out of the room, not wanting to talk about what he had said. 

Unfortunately, Harry's luck had run out. He had barely got to the end of the corridor when Remus, Sirius, and James caught up with him, Peter a short distance behind. "Hey Harry!" James called out, his hazel eyes filled with curiosity. "How did you know all that stuff?"

"What you described, it isn't in any of the books I've read" Remus stated as he adjusted his grip on his bag.

"It was like … like you've actually met Dementors" Sirius said thoughtfully, concern marring his handsome face. "That's how you knew everything".

Harry didn't know what to do. He was surrounded and he could feel the first tinges of panic on the edge of his mind. Thoughts about the future, his experiences, and the present swirled around. James, whose voice he heard when the Dementors got too close. Sirius, who had been wrongly imprisoned in Azkaban for 12 years and had nearly been Kissed. There was Remus, who had spent months teaching him how to defend himself against the effects of the Dementors. Finally, there was Peter, the reason why he relived the murder of his parents. 

Harry's panicked green eyes met those of Sirius. However, it was at that moment Harry recalled one of his dreams from the previous night, the one where Sirius fell into the Veil at the Department of Mysteries. Tearing his eyes away, he turned to look at Remus. Those steady amber eyes that were currently filled with concern. However, this wasn't _his_ Remus Harry realised, the Remus that he had confided in was 20 years away. Perhaps for the first time since Harry had arrived, he truly realised that he was alone.

He did something that went against everything he was, against everything that was Gryffindor. He ran. He missed the bewildered looks on the four boys' faces, nor the quick intense conversation they had between themselves. 

He ran, his feet leading him towards the Quidditch pitch. Harry did not stop running until he reached the stands. He shrugged off his bag and dropped to the ground, drawing his knees up before leaning forwards, his forehead resting in the crook of his arms. 

Harry had not been sitting long when he heard footsteps slowly approaching the Quidditch stand. Lifting his head slightly he noticed that it was Remus who had followed him. Harry watched as the werewolf gracefully sat down next to him before returning his gaze to the floor. He could feel those amber eyes burning a hole into him and reluctantly, Harry raised his own sad green eyes to meet them. Attempting to reassure Remus, he forced a small smile and explained, "I'm okay now. It's just got a bit intense back there".

"Are you sure?" asked Remus, a hint of worry lacing his voice.

"I think so" replied Harry in a soft voice. He let out a small bitter laugh, "I bet they're all talking about how the new kid can't cope".

"I doubt it, but so what? I don't, and I know James, Sirius, and Peter don't either. I admit I don't know you at all well, but I get this feeling that you're a lot stronger than you look".

"Still the Slytherins will have a field day with this" groaned Harry.

"Well then, they're idiots. You … it sounded like you knew what you were talking about in Defence. About the Dementors, I mean. I've read about them, but what you described, that's never been documented so I can only presume it's first hand knowledge" Remus mused. "If people think you're weak because of that, just ignore them. You know better. Sometimes its better to grow a thick skin and ignore all the bad things people say about you…"

Harry got the feeling that Remus wasn't referring to him anymore, but about people's opinion regarding werewolves. He remained silent until Remus spoke up again. "I can't expect, after all you barely know me" he said, not realising the irony of the statement "but if you want to talk about what happened just now. It might make you feel better?"

Harry sighed. He wanted to talk about what had happened, to share the burden with someone. However, his common sense told him that he couldn't, that he had to keep the events of the future secret. Nor did he like having to lie to Remus. Eventually Harry compromised. "If I'm too close to Dementors, I hear my parent's being murdered. It's my only memory of them as well, so as you can tell, it's not really a pleasant experience for me" he explained. 

Remus could not say anything in response for several moments, but instead placed his hand on Harry's shoulder as a sign of support. Finally, he managed to say, "I'm so sorry Harry. That must be terrible. I can't imagine what you must feel".

"I just hope that no one will have to go through what happened to me, but unfortunately I doubt my wish will come true. Not with everything as it is", said Harry with closed eyes.

"I guess so" Remus sighed, his light brown hair falling into his eyes as he tilted his head back to look at the blue sky. "To a certain extent we're shielded here at Hogwarts. The killing, disappearances, it's out there", he said waving his hand absently. "The only times we know what's going on is if it's in the paper or someone gets a letter … well you can guess. After all, everyone says that the Dark Lord won't come here. That he's too afraid of Dumbledore. We're safe here, but the problem with that is you can forget about the people who aren't here…"

"Merlin! Remus, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to inflict my depressed mood on you" Harry apologised.

"Don't worry. Sometimes we all need a bit of help"

**********

Remus sat down with his friends at the Gryffindor table for dinner. Normally, dinner was a noisy affair, but this time the four friends were quieter than normal. Harry had not come down to dinner. At some point in-between Charms and walking into the Great Hall, the Marauders had lost the quiet green-eyed teenager. A question hung in Remus' mind. '_Just how did Harry manage to give us the slip, especially since he can't possibly know his way around Hogwarts yet_' but it was pushed aside when James asked him about Harry's behaviour after their DADA lesson.

After their little talk, Harry and Remus had hurried back into the castle to their Charms lesson. Luckily, Sirius had grabbed a couple of sandwiches for the two teenagers so they did not have to suffer the double lesson in hunger. Remus had noticed James sending him several curious glances but he had shaken his head, indicating that he would explain later. Instead, the Sixth Year class settled down into a review of the previous years' work with Professor Flitwick. As usual, Lily Evans had breezed through the class surpassing all the other students in the class, much to the dismay of several Slytherins also in the class. 

Remus had kept an eye on Harry though out Charms but did not notice any unusual behaviour, not that he knew what Harry's usual behaviour would be like, Remus reminded himself. Instead, Harry had kept quiet, concentrating on the work assigned and not talking to anyone in the class. Absentmindedly Remus had noticed that Harry's charm work, while not on the same level as Lily, was by no means unimpressive either. All in all, Harry was proving to be a very interesting young man.

Over the course of the dinner, Remus explained to his three friends what Harry and Remus had discussed earlier that day. The three boys had been shocked at the revelation that Harry heard the murder of his parents when he was confronted by Dementors. The three friends were prepared to offer their sympathy to Harry, but Remus told them that perhaps it would be better not to mention the fact they knew what had happened, but instead allow him to confide in them. After all, they did not know how Harry would react to everyone knowing what he suffers from when under the Dementor's effects. 

It was several minutes later when their Head of House, Professor McGonagall, approached the Gryffindor table. She questioned Remus regarding the whereabouts of Harry, to which the four boys recounted an abbreviated version of their DADA lesson, leaving out the talk Remus and Harry had during lunch. Much to the Marauders surprise, after listening to their explanation, McGonagall asked them to take some food for Harry. She also asked them to remind Harry that he was more than welcome to talk to the Headmaster if he was having any troubles. 

Four extremely curious boys made their way back to Gryffindor Tower. As they navigated the many staircases and corridors, they discussed the possible reasons why McGonagall and in particular Dumbledore were so interested in the new student. They found Harry in their dorm and upon questioning him, found out that he had been out flying to clear his head. Remus, distracting James from his musings, informed the green-eyed boy regarding the conversation they had with their Transfiguration teacher at dinner. 

Remus noted that Harry seemed embarrassed by the attention he received, most likely due to his recent behaviour, and so Remus told the others that perhaps they should get on with doing their assigned homework. It seemed to divert the attention away from Harry, which had been Remus' intention. James and Sirius had moaned a great deal, making several jokes regarding 'Perfect Prefect Remus' which he brushed aside, but eventually the five boys settled down either doing their homework or in James and Sirius' case, planning some joke or another on an unsuspecting target.

**********

Harry sat in the little niche, looking out of the window at the empty Hogwarts grounds. He sighed as he remembered that he should be sleeping, like the rest of his dorm, but that was the problem. It felt so weird; his dad and mom … Sirius … they were alive. '_Alive and sixteen_' he reminded himself. '_Why does it always happen to me?_' he asked himself. '_Do I have perpetual victim tattooed on my head? Oh yeah, I forgot, I do!'_

The silver light from the moon filtered in through the large open window. Luckily, the night was warm therefore, the temperature in the circular room did not drop significantly. Harry's keen eyes picked out something approaching … Hedwig! '_She must have been out hunting_'. In all the confusion and excitement of the day, Harry had completely forgotten about his owl. He waited as she approached the open window and sat herself down on his knee. He stroked her white feathers as he thought about the situation he had literally dropped into. 

Harry wondered what everyone would be thinking back in his own time, or would they actually miss him. '_Time travel seemed to be extremely complicated_' thought Harry. He vaguely remembered something about **cause and effect **from one of Dudley's TV shows. '_The Grandfather Paradox, or in his case the Father Paradox. If he did something, would it change the future? Would it be a big change or something small? What if he didn't mean to do anything, but an accident meant that he inadvertently changed time. Would he be in trouble if he did? Merlin! How would anyone know he changed time? This is ridiculous!_'

Harry's thoughts drifted as he petted Hedwig, his green eyes unfocused. '_Poor Remus, he's lost all the Marauders, after all Wormtail doesn't count anymore. That's another thing. Not that I've been spending any time with him, or that I really want to, but Peter isn't like Wormtail. Admittedly, I don't know him that well yet and honestly I don't think I want to, especially considering that he betrayed everyone, but I can't see Wormtail in him yet. I wonder what happened to make him so **evil**_

'I wonder how Ron and Hermione are doing. Do they know what happened, how I got here? I wonder if they'll miss me, after all, ever since Sirius died I haven't really been that good a friend. I hope they don't worry too much, I'll make it up to them when I get back, I promise. I bet the Dursleys will be happy enough to hear that I've disappeared, but then so will Voldemort. Merlin! That's not going to be fun. If he hears about me disappearing, which he will because Malfoy was there … but he doesn't know about the Prophesy though. He might step up the attacks and killings, if he wasn't going to do so anyway. Then again, would he know, would Dumbledore and the Order? Maybe they won't realise that I'm missing because I get sent back to almost the same time as when I disappeared or … oh this is stupid! 

'Come on Harry, get a grip! You can't worry about what's going on in your own time since you're not there and you definitely don't understand time travel well enough to figure it out. What happens will happen and you've got to accept it and face it when it does. If they know, they know. I'm sure the Order and now the Ministry will try to stop the Death Eaters, at least until I get back. It can't be that bad, right? Hermione and Ron will be busy with school and Quidditch. Remus isn't totally alone. After all, my big Sis is there! Tonks promised me she'd look after Remus and I know she will. As for me? Stop all this moping around! You're here now and you can't do a damn thing about it, just take advantage of the opportunity you've been given. Get to know James and Lily, Sirius and Remus and well Peter … let's hope I don't hex him something bad. That could be interesting to explain!'

"It'll be all right won't it Hedwig?" he asked in a soft whisper.

The snowy owl looked back at him for several seconds before hooting quietly and nipping the finger that was petting her, as if to reassure him. Harry smiled at the owl, glad that he had a friend, someone familiar, with him in this time. 

In his occupied state, he did not notice the light footsteps approaching him as he sat in front of the window. Nor did he hear the quiet gasp from the approaching person. Harry was oblivious to the fact that the silver light that shone through the window highlighted his pale skin and glinted off his unruly black hair, making it seem to the outside observer as if he had silver highlights. The moonlight reflected off his emerald eyes and the snowy owl just added to the glow emanating from the silent teenager.

Harry was brought out of his musings by a soft touch on his arm. He looked up with wide eyes at Sirius, who was in turn looking at him with a concerned expression on his handsome face. Harry took a few seconds to compose himself since the urge to warn Sirius about the future had reared up when he had seen Sirius standing before him. With an apologetic smile, Harry apologised to the taller boy, "I'm sorry I woke you up, I didn't mean to. I just thought some fresh air would help me get back to sleep".

Sirius smiled down at him, an indecipherable look in his sapphire eyes. "It's okay, I got up to go to the bathroom and saw you sitting here. Thought I'd check to see if you were okay? Not too homesick or anything?"

"I was just thinking about some people I left behind, wondering if they'd miss me. They're some pretty special people you see, helped me through some really bad times, especially this past summer" replied Harry in a soft voice.

"I understand. My summer wasn't the greatest either. Luckily, I've got some great friends, especially James. I'm sure your friends miss you too", said Sirius. He paused for a moment in which both boys privately recalled their individual summers before changing the subject, "Is that your owl?"

Harry's face lit up. "Yes, this is Hedwig. I've had ever since I was eleven, when I first found out that I was a wizard. She was my first present and she's been with me through thick and thin". Hedwig hooted in agreement and preened as Sirius stroked her feathers. 

"You know, I can't actually believe I'm saying this, but we should try and get some sleep. We have classes tomorrow or later today, I should say. Don't tell Remus though. He'll send me off to see Pomfrey!" murmured Sirius with a small chuckle. "Luckily we can sleep in a bit longer than usual this morning".

Harry agreed and with a few whispered words to Hedwig he stepped down from the window ledge and made his way back to his bed. He heard a whispered "Good night" and returned the courtesy before climbing into bed. It was not until he was at the threshold of sleep when he realised that Sirius had gone straight to bed.

**********

When Harry finally woke up the next morning, he found that Pettigrew had already left for his Herbology lesson. He spent the morning in the library researching several potions and the variations in their effectiveness when substituting particular ingredients. The afternoon lesson was Care of Magical Creatures. Although Harry had known not to expect Hagrid to be conducting the lesson, he was still surprised to see Professor Kettleburn. Therefore, Tuesday's lessons passed by quite quickly and with relatively less trouble than the day before.

That evening found Harry and Lily sat at one of the table in the Gryffindor Common room. Lily had approached Harry earlier that day, suggesting that they might do their Transfiguration homework together. 

"So what about the Switching spell? I can do it some of the time, but I don't think I quite understand the formula behind it" asked Lily frowning at her notes.

Harry smiled as he remembered Neville's attempts at that type of spell. "I'm not sure, have you copied the formula down correctly?" he replied.

"Of course I did!" Lily said in an indignant tone.

"Let's have a look then … ah! You've mixed up Steps 2 and 3. That might be why" replied Harry somewhat smugly. Harry was glad of the little pep-talk that he had with himself in the early hours of the morning and was determined to enjoy what time he had with his parents and their friends. 

Lily raised an eyebrow at Harry. "What! Hey, you never know. You might have written it down wrong!" she said challengingly.

"No I didn't Lily", said Harry, a small smirk teasing his lips. "Got it straight out of the book. Wait here … there it is", he said, showing her the relevant section in his coursebook. "You probably remember it as one thing and wrote it down as another, which is why you only manage it successfully some of the time" he explained.

"Okay, I admit it. Sorry Harry" apologised Lily.

"No problem" Harry answered. "It's not like I'm any better at this than you are. James and Sirius, well they're another matter. I can't describe how good they are at this sort of stuff".

"Oh no! Please tell me you're not joining the Potter and Black bandwagon!" cried Lily. "I'll never be able to speak to you again, not civilly at least!"

"They seem like alright people so far. What's so wrong with them?" asked Harry, curious as to what Lily thought of her future husband. He remembered that scene from Snape's pensive and how Lily had hated James. '_Maybe if I can find out why she doesn't like him, I can change it so she does_'

"Those two are … I don't think there are words to describe them. Arrogant jerks I suppose, pig-headed enough to think that they can do what they like to whomever they like" she replied, her face turning a light pink from anger. "They think they're so great and those so called pranks. Urghh! I can't stand them!"

"Isn't that being a little bit harsh?" murmured Harry, not wanting to anger Lily but still curious.

"I feel incredibly sorry for you, having to share a dorm with them. Merlin knows that I'd kill Potter if I had to spend longer than an hour in his company" retorted Lily.

Harry had to duck under the table, pretending he had dropped his quill, in order to hide the amused look on his face. With a more composed expression, he returned to his seat. "Maybe you just haven't got to know him that well? He could actually be a really nice person?"

"You keep your illusions Harry and I'll stick to the facts" stated Lily before returning their attention back to the Switching Spells they had been discussing.

It was not long after that conversation when Lily left the Common room after completing their homework for the next day. Harry was gathering his books when he noticed that Pettigrew looked to be approaching the table where he had been sat. Stilling his movements, he waited for the smaller boy to arrive and he was not disappointed. He resisted the sudden urge to curse Pettigrew, instead waiting for the boy to speak through slightly narrowed green eyes.

"Y- You should know, Lily Evans there … she's not available" he stuttered.

"So what" sneered Harry. "I don't care, but it's not as if she's going out with anyone at the moment anyway".

"James won't be happy at all if you try to move in on her", he said in reply.

"Look Pettigrew. I'm not, and never will be, interested in going out with Lily. I don't like her in that way" stated Harry. '_Not to mention that it would be wrong on so many levels!_' he privately thought. '_For goodness sakes', she's my mother. Oh yeah, I can't tell the rat that. By the way, I'm from the future and you're suggesting that I'm interested in dating my mother! Definitely … not!_'

"Lo- look Harry" started Pettigrew, his watery eyes darting around the room, looking for someone. "I'm just warning you. James can get a bit … jealous. You don't want to annoy him, and Evans is one way to do that".

"Well you can stop worrying about that then can't you" snarled Harry, rapidly losing his patience with Pettigrew. "I already told you I'm not interesting in dating her". With a quick look to check that he had not left anything behind, he grabbed his homework and stalked off towards the staircase that led upto the dorms before he lost his temper and said something that he shouldn't.

Pettigrew watched Harry storm out of the Common Room. He wondered about the strange new boy. '_There's something strange about him_' he thought. '_I don't know what but I don't like it. He says he doesn't like Evans but I just don't believe him. I better not tell James though, at least not yet, not without proof. I'll keep an eye on that Harry Granger. If he comes onto Evans or does anything strange then I'll tell James. He'll be really pleased with me I bet_'. It was with a strange smile gracing his lips that Pettigrew returned to the shadowy corner where he had been watching Harry and Lily earlier as he made up his Divination homework.

**********

Notes:

Sorry guys for making you wait an absolute age but real life intruded and then I wrote a one-off (I hope but ping*pong5 gave me an idea) piece of fiction called **Expelled**. Please, pretty please, with a strawberry on top, read it and leave a review.

This is only the first part of this chapter, but the file was huge and quite bulky and it was just not happening. I will finish editing the second part in the next day or so and post it before Sunday, so not so long to wait! I feel so bad not updating sooner but Chapter 5 in total is over 1500 words! _Forgive me?_ Responses to reviews for the last chapter will be posted at the end of Part 2.

I apologise in advance for any mistakes, spelling, grammatical or otherwise. It is all my fault since this is unbeta'd. Please **review (long is good!) **and send any helpful comments, all will be appreciated. Any flames, however, will be, in all honesty, read then disregarded. Thank you for reading!

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SStar


	6. Decisions: Part 2

Comments: e-mail at sstar_luna@yahoo.co.uk or Review button below.

Rating: PG-13 for now, may change later. Will be **slash** later in the story: HP/?, JP/LE

Spoilers: Books 1-5. Do not read unless you have FINISHED _The Order of the Phoenix_.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot. All Harry Potter™ characters and settings are the sole intellectual property of JK Rowling, Warner Bros. and various others who all aren't connected to me in any way. No money is being made with this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

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Chapter 5: Decisions (Part 2)

"Hey" whispered Sirius. "Harry. You need to stretch out the 'o' in the incantation as you flick your wand. Go on give it a try"

Harry did as he was instructed and to his surprise, the teacup had turned into a lizard. '_Well in the loosest definition of a lizard I suppose_' Harry thought wryly. '_It's the first lizard that I've ever seen that has a teacup handle for a tail!_' Harry turned slightly to smile at Sirius in order to thank him for his help and was taken aback at the difference in Sirius' whole demeanour when he grinned back at him.

"Thanks. Still, it's nowhere as good as yours is. Mind you, you could hang the lizard up on the wall. Could be an interesting wall decoration I guess" murmured Harry.

"You haven't been listening to Sirius here, have you?" interrupted James. "He's not bad at his stuff, but he hasn't a clue how to explain anything. Shouldn't listen to him Harry, you never know what he's upto!"

"Hey, I can explain! Besides Jamie-boy, you're the picture of innocence yourself!" retorted Sirius.

"Of course I am! Everybody loves me. Why wouldn't they!" replied James, puffing his chest out as he spoke.

"James, James, James" said Sirius while shaking his head slowly. "I don't know how to break it to you mate, but you're not. Firstly, there are all those detentions you've had over the years…"

"Sirius! Some of us are still trying to do the work here" hissed Remus.

"Hey! You're no angel yourself! We've both had our fair share of detentions" James retaliated with a good-natured smile.

Sirius carried on as if his friends had not interrupted him. "Secondly, Evans is still holding out on you mate. You got to admit, you're not doing all that well".

"Ha! Smirk all you want Sirius, but I shall prevail!" muttered James quietly.

Harry heard a small snort of disgust from his other side and turned to throw a small grin at Lily. He allowed the bantering between James and Sirius to become background noise as he contemplated the situation he had been dropped into. '_It's definitely a lot different from what I saw in Snape's pensive, thank Merlin for that! Remus told me stories about what they got upto but it's nothing compared to actually being here. Sure Lily's not too keen on James yet, but it's not too bad. Sirius is so … alive, I suppose. Carefree? Remus seems a lot happier as well, I don't see that look in his eyes. The one that tells people he's seen too much death and horror. They all seem to be … even Pettigrew, **so** innocent. In their experiences, in life. Then again, I wouldn't want them to go through the kind of things I've seen, especially not considering what they'll be facing in a few years time_'.

Harry let out a soft sigh but was brought out of his musings by the bell ringing, signalling the end of class. He quickly packed his bag and with a quick goodbye to Lily, he followed the Marauders to the Great Hall for lunch. Taking a seat next to Remus, he served himself a portion of soup and began to eat.

"Harry?" asked James, who was sitting opposite Harry and Remus. "I don't mean to nag…"

A smirking Sirius interrupted. "Gets it from his mother does James".

"Shut up Sirius" retorted James. "Look Harry, it's just … well, maybe you should have some more to eat. You look awfully thin. As if you haven't had a good meal in months".

"He's right you know" agreed Sirius as he looked over Harry with a critical eye. "You need a bit more weight on you. I bet I could see your ribs if you took off your shirt right now".

Harry blushed at the attention he was receiving from the teenagers. "I'm trying" he explained. "It's just that right now, I've got used to eating smaller portions than normal and I'm sure that if I try to eat more, I'll end up being sick". Deciding to change the subject before the others could delve too deeply regarding his eating habits, Harry asked, "I noticed that the tryouts for the House Quidditch team are on tonight. Someone pinned a note up in the Common Room".

"That would be James. He's the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain and one of the Chasers. Sirius on the other hand is one of the Beaters for the team" explained Remus. "Those two" he said, waving a hand in James' and Sirius' direction "are Quidditch fanatics. Once you start them on the subject, you won't be able to stop them" he moaned but the small grin betraying him. 

"Remus! We're your best friends. Surely you should be more understanding than that!" complained Sirius, a mischievous glint in his blue eyes.

"No, I don't think so. Now if you'll excuse me Harry, I need to visit the library and check out a book for some research. I'll meet you outside the DADA classroom in a bit" said Remus, before picking up his bag and leaving the Great Hall.

"You know? Remus would make a great beater", James said with a resigned sigh. "It's a pity he refuses to try out". A sudden thought seemed to occur and his face transformed as a mischievous smile graced his lips. "Of course, one of the positions open this year _is_ for a new Beater. I best be careful who I pick, right Sirius? After all, I can't pick someone you dumped or current boyfriends of your ex's I suppose. They might decide it's more satisfying to aim the Bludger at you rather than the other team's players and we can't have that now, can we!"

An indecipherable look passed across Sirius' face as his eyes moved down the table, passing over several faces including Harry's for a few seconds before he turned to glare at his best friend. "Ha ha. Very funny James" he replied, punching James on the shoulder to divert the focus away from him. "You're a real funny man, but I wouldn't give up the day job if I were you".

Harry could not help himself. He chuckled quietly at the embarrassed blue-eyed teenager. Luckily, Sirius did not notice his mirth since he was currently glaring at Pettigrew who had been laughing at James' words. Harry watched with a morbid fascination as Pettigrew shrank under the force of the glare and with quiet amusement when the mousy-haired boy moved to concentrate on his lunch and avoiding Sirius' gaze.

"So what positions are available this year then. Apart from a Beater of course" Harry asked curiously. He privately wondered who the Quidditch Captain was back in his time. McGonagall had suggested over the summer that the position would in all probability have been offered to him, but since that wasn't an option anymore. '_Probably Katie. She has been on the team the longest so it's the most logical choice'_.

"We're after a new Seeker as well. The last one left a lot to be desired. In all honesty, the only reason we won the Quidditch Cup at all was because our Chasers were bloody brilliant!" replied Sirius. "Why? Do you play? What position?"

Harry looked up from his soup to meet three curious gazes. He wondered how much he should reveal. '_It's probably a good idea to try to keep a low profile_' he reminded himself. '_But I really miss playing Quidditch! Especially after the ridiculous ban I received from Umbridge. Really, what harm could it do? Besides, I've always wondered what it would be like to fly with my dad. After all, everyone keeps on telling me what a great Quidditch player he was_'.

Still undecided, Harry finally replied, "I don't know. I did play Seeker for my old team though" he said, distorting the truth only very slightly. "I'm a fair bit out of practice though. I don't know if I'll have time to practice much this year either. Besides, I'm sure that there are other people who'll be trying out as well".

Harry did not miss the look of envy that passed across Pettigrew's face but the look had disappeared with a blink of his eyes, so fast the he thought he may have imagined it. Harry absently fiddled with his spoon as James and Sirius looked at each other, obviously having a silent conversation. A moment later they seemed to have come to an agreement.

"Tryouts are at 6.30 on the Quidditch Pitch if you want to try out" offered James. "You should come down and have a look, see if you want to try out for the team. It'd be great to see you there". Harry nodded in reply before the four teenagers returned to their lunch. 

**********

Harry found himself impressed by the DADA teacher in this time-period. '_Mind you_' he thought to himself, '_almost anyone would be an improvement on Umbridge_'. After everybody in the DADA class had sat down in their seats, Steelfield had announced that she would be duelling each student in an attempt to gauge their level of competence and discover what areas they, as individuals, would need to concentrate on to further improve. The duels between the students and Steelfield had not been going that well, but then Harry privately admitted that he had little or no frame of reference. 

Strangely enough, Sirius and James had fared little better than many of the others in the class. Harry frowned as he recalled how the duels had played out. It was obvious that both James and Sirius were knowledgeable in the area of hexes and jinxes, but had obviously not come across opponents who knew how to defend themselves as successfully as Steelfield had. From his year teaching the DA, Harry could tell that with practice and training, both James and Sirius would be formidable opponents in a real duel. 

Pettigrew, on the other hand, did not perform quite as well as his other classmates; not that Harry was all that surprised. In all honesty, Harry was amazed that Pettigrew would eventually possess enough magical potential to successfully perform the Killing curse, after all Barty Crouch Jr had told him that it took an advanced wizard to perform that curse. However at this point in time, Pettigrew had been disarmed by Steelfield less than 30 seconds after the duel had begun.

Remus, however, performed better than many of the other students in the class, including his fellow Marauders. Harry had watched the duel, which lasted just over 5 minutes, with great interest. It was apparent that Remus had planned his offensive and defensive spells much more effectively than the others had. Instead of attacking outright, he had waited for Steelfield to attack first. 

Harry had personally felt reasonably pleased with his duel against the DADA Professor. He had outlasted every student in the class, although Snape had come very close Harry noted with a small amount of disgust. He agreed with Sirius, Snape was an oily greasy-haired slimeball, but he did know several _interesting_ curses it seemed. Luckily for Harry, the previous years' experience in leading the DA, as well as the extensive reading he had done over the summer, had prepared somewhat for the duel with Steelfield. Harry privately admitted that it was a lot harder in practice. Overall, Harry was pleased with his performance in the class and happily accepted the praise he received from the Marauders, who were extremely thankful that a Slytherin hadn't managed to best a Gryffindor.

By the end of the lesson, Steelfield had duelled with each student in the class. As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of the lesson, James and Sirius disappeared through the classroom door. Harry on the other hand started to walk back to Gryffindor Tower with Remus, discussing the shield charm that he had used in his duel with Steelfield. The two boys were waiting for one of the corridors to move when Lily caught up with them. 

The trio began to discuss the duels they had watched, including Steelfield's plans to practice their duelling techniques, as they made their way back to Gryffindor Tower. Harry could see the Professor in the teenager before him, the way Remus' amber eyes brightened as he discussed the benefits of a particular jinx when compared to a different charm. When Lily suggested perhaps they could use various Charms as defensive spells during a duel, Harry was reminded of how Dumbledore had transfigured the statues in the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic to block several spells sent by Voldemort. Being careful not to mention _that_ incident, Harry suggested the use of Transfiguration during duels and the three quickly became engrossed in the possibilities it would create. 

As Harry, Lily, and Remus walked into the Gryffindor Common room, his thoughts were drawn back to Ron and Hermione. It was a strange feeling, walking through the corridors of Hogwarts with Remus and Lily, almost familiar. '_I miss Ron and Hermione. They've always been there with me. What I wouldn't do to be able to talk to them, but just now … it was strange … but good. I don't know … normally Hermione has to almost force me to work and Ron's always around to make sure I have fun, but here, it's as if I don't mind. It's all in one … is this because of the Prophesy? Damn it all, it's just confusing!_' Harry stopped his train of thought, it wasn't the time or place to be having them, but vowed to consider the situation at a more appropriate time.

Lily's next question caught Harry off his guard. "Hey Harry? I thought I heard you were thinking of trying out for the Quidditch team. Aren't you missing the tryouts?" she asked.

Remus frowned as he turned his attention on Harry, who blushed slightly under the attention. "I didn't know you were going to try out. What position? Shouldn't you be down on the Quidditch Pitch rather than sitting here?" he questioned.

"I don't know if I should" Harry responded. He was still unsure if he would change the timeline by joining the Quidditch team. "I'm sure there's a decent Seeker in whomever is trying out though. They won't need me I bet!"

"I wouldn't depend on that" was the cryptic reply from Remus.

"You should at least try out Harry" Lily encouraged. "Even if you don't make the team, at least you know you tried your best, and that's all anyone can ask for".

Harry could not help feeling equal amounts of pride, sadness, and embarrassment. Pride knowing that his mother would have been proud of him whatever he did … whatever happened. Sadness that she didn't have the opportunity to witness what he had already accomplished in his life so far and embarrassment that he was dithering regarding the Quidditch team tryouts. 

With Lily's words in mind, a slow smile started to form on Harry's face as he rose from his seat. Harry ran up the stairs to the boy's dorm, the bemused gazes of Remus and Lily following him. Once he reached his trunk, a birthday present from Moody, Harry grabbed his Firebolt, a gift from Sirius in his Third Year, his broom for the past 3 years. 

'_Woah! Wait a minute_' he suddenly realised. '_Forgetting the fact that Sirius was the one to buy me my broom, it's a Firebolt! The best broom on the market in 1996. What am I supposed to do? I can't buy a new one, I don't have the galleons for it, and the school brooms will be too slow. What do I do? What if … if I use the Firebolt, but not fly at its top speed. Would that work? Maybe I could pretend it's a custom-made broom if anyone gets too suspicious. Damn it, if only things would go smoothly for once!_' 

A few moments later, Harry ran back down to the Common Room with his Firebolt, where he met the amused looks of his two friends. 

"Looks like you're going to try out then?" asked Lily, a knowing smile teasing her lips.

"Yup! Want to come and see?" offered Harry with a grin.

Remus and Lily looked at each other before turning back to Harry. As one, they agreed. "Sure!"

The next few minutes found three teenagers racing through the corridors and grounds of Hogwarts. Eventually, they arrived at the Quidditch pitch and they looked around before finally noticing Sirius, who was standing close to the stands, at the far end of the pitch. Harry's former enthusiasm started to sink as he realised the tryouts for the Gryffindor team had already ended. 

Harry noticed that Sirius' attention seemed to be directed at someone in the air and so he coughed as he approached the taller boy. "Looks like I'm too late", said Harry, green eyes dimming with the realisation.

"Hey Harry, Remus … Evans? What are you doing here?" a bemused Sirius greeted.

"It's nothing to do with you Black, but Harry asked if I wanted to come and watch. After all, I did manage to persuade him to come and try out for the team" she retorted, green eyes flashing.

Sirius narrowed his eyes at Lily before turning to smile at Harry. "Technically" he said, "tryouts have ended. We did manage to find a new Beater, but the three who tried out for the Seeker position … well, the less said the better. They managed to _lose_ the snitch!" he explained, shaking his head in disbelief. "Still, James isn't a bad Seeker I suppose. Currently it looks like he'll end up having to play that position on the team. It's a real pity though, he's our best Chaser and that's where we need him". 

Harry moved to look at James, who was currently circling the Quidditch pitch looking for the snitch. It didn't look like he was having all that much luck either. Automatically, Harry's eyes also began searching for the small golden ball. Sirius continued to speak to Harry, not noticing that he had become distracted. "I've no idea what James plans on doing though. We can't let the Slytherins win the Cup and Ravenclaw House have a decent team this year as well. Hey! Harry, where…"

Harry did not hear the rest of Sirius' question. Instead, he flashed the dark-haired Beater an apologetic grin before mounting his broom and kicking off. Harry looped around the pitch once, relishing the feeling of flying once more. Harry had missed the sensation of the wind against his face and he absently noted that his Firebolt was as responsive as ever. Harry could not contain his excitement at being back in the air, his mouth beginning to ache from the large grin on his face. He started to make a second loop before swerving to where James had been hovering.

"James!" he shouted. "Sirius tells me you lost a snitch!"

"Yes! Seeker tryouts didn't go that well and they managed to lose the snitch. I don't know what to do", he said, shaking his head. "We can't play the other Houses without a decent Seeker and I much prefer to play Chaser. Anyway, I don't suppose you can see where the snitch is, can you. Let me know if you do and I'll go grab it so we can get back to the Tower".

"I don't suppose you mean this?" Harry asked, holding out his hand. In it lay the golden Snitch.

Harry chuckled as he saw James' jaw drop. His heart filled with pride and happiness. The emotions he was feeling, it was like … everything was perfect. How he had always imagined he would feel with his parents. He could not help feeling slightly smug at the fact that he had managed to catch the snitch while James, the star Chaser, smei-Seeker, and all round Quidditch star, had not. 

"Let it go again!"

"What!" Harry exclaimed.

"Let the snitch go" repeated James. "Give it a minute head-start and then we'll start searching for it again".

Harry shrugged and did as he was told. A minute later found James and Harry circling the Quidditch pitch, looking for the elusive Golden Snitch. They spent several minutes searching the darkening sky for the telltale glimmer of gold. Suddenly Harry spotted it at the far end of the pitch, hovering in front of the centre goal hoop. With a quick look to check on James, who was a few meters in front of him but facing in the opposite direction to the Snitch, Harry swerved to the left, as if to circle him. As he passed James, he changed directions again and flew towards the far end of the pitch. He was vaguely aware that James had noticed his diversion and was now following him in the chase for the snitch. 

Harry was careful not to fly at the top speed of the Firebolt, but fast enough to remain slightly ahead of his opponent. As he neared the goalposts, the snitch decided to move and was diving towards the ground. Harry followed, angling his broom into a steep dive. The world around him contracted as he solely focused on the small snitch flying in front of him. He was not aware that James had stopped following him, but was instead watching him go after the snitch. Nor did he hear Lily's screams as he flew towards the ground or Sirius' shouts of encouragement. He inched closer and closer to the snitch and to the outside observer, it looked as if Harry would crash. 

Instead, to their shock, Harry pulled up at the last moment as his fingers came into contact with the snitch. He straightened his broom, feet skimming the grass before he rose slightly and flew back to where Sirius, Remus, Lily, and now James were standing. As he neared them, Harry finally noticed the small figure of Pettigrew approaching from the stands.

As soon as Harry had dismounted, Sirius, who seemed to be vibrating with excitement swept him into a hug. As soon as he was released, Harry found himself in another rib bruising hug, this time by Lily, whose face was paler than normal. 

"Harry Granger!" she shrieked in a tone reminiscent of Hermione. "Don't you **_ever_** do that again! I thought you were going to crash!"

"Harry! That was bloody fantastic!" James shouted, ignoring the glare he received from Lily. 

"You had James totally beat! He didn't even bother trying to follow you! How come you didn't tell us you were that good?" Sirius asked.

"Yes" agreed Remus. "You were giving us the impression that you weren't that good a Seeker, but wow … I mean, just look at you! What were you thinking, saying you didn't think you were good enough to get on the team!"

"You know something Jamie-boy?" Sirius shouted.

"No, what?"

"We are **going** to win the Cup this year! We're going to trounce all the other teams! Especially those slimy Slytherins" he exclaimed having grabbed Harry and James in another exuberant hug.

May hugs and congratulations later, Harry eventually found himself returning to the castle. Internally he was a mess of giddiness and nerves. He had always wondered what his parents, especially his father would have thought about his flying and now he knew. It was a feeling that filled his soul with happiness. 

The group of six students approached the doors to the Entrance Hall, where Professor McGonagall met them. James called out to his Head of House. "Professor! We've chosen our new players".

"And pray Mr Potter, who may they be" she asked, a twinkle in her eye.

"Well Jonathan Holmes is the new Beater and Harry here is going to be the new Seeker!" he announced, hazel eyes shining with pride.

McGonagall turned her gaze onto Harry and seemed to consider something before smiling at her Gryffindor students. "Congratulations" she said. "Well Mr Potter, I hope to see the Quidditch Cup grace my office again this year. I expect you not to let the House down, after all, it seems to have become a bit of a permanent feature hasn't it?"

"Yes Mim, Professor Sir!" saluted James with a cocky grin at McGonagall.

McGonagall frowned at the nickname and opened her mouth to chastise James. "Mr Potter…"

"Sorry Professor. Summer habit. Hard to break, you know how it is" explained James to the older witch with wide, innocent looking eyes. "I'll try not to do it again!" he called out before running off down the corridor.

McGonagall shook her head at his behaviour, but the gleam in her eyes betraying her amusement. She dismissed Remus, Peter, and Lily; Sirius having already left, running after his best friend. A curious Harry followed McGonagall as they made their way to her office, wondering why he had not been dismissed along with the others. He did not have to wait long for his explanation.

"Congratulations" she said after she had sat down behind her desk, beckoning Harry to take a seat. "You fly just as well as your father, although I'm not sure that even he would have tried that dive".

Harry blinked.

McGonagall carried on speaking as if she had expected that very reaction from Harry. "The Headmaster thought to inform me of … _certain facts_ regarding your past and how you came to be here. I shall be helping him where possible in researching a way to get you back to your own time, though not in my particular area of expertise" she explained. "It is also beneficial for you. If circumstances occur such that your situation is discovered and you are unable to find the Headmaster, you are to come and tell me. I hope that we can smooth over any difficulties that may occur with you being from the future. Now, I believe you should be returning to your Tower soon, I expect there will be some sort of celebration, especially if Mr Black and Mr Potter are involved" she finished with a sigh. "I shall organise a set of Gryffindor Quidditch robes for you".

"That's alright Professor" Harry replied. "I already have a set".

"So Mr Gra- … Mr Potter" she corrected with a small smile. "How long have you been playing for your House team?" she asked.

Harry remained silent for a moment as he considered his answer. "For 5 years Professor" he decided to answer.

"But, but that would have meant that…" began McGonagall. Her eyes widened with the realisation. "First years are hardly ever appointed to their House Quidditch teams. My word, there hasn't been anyone for over…"

"A century" Harry finished. "You yourself made the decision. Trust me, it was a shock to me and my friends as much as to anyone else".

"Well Potter. You are full of surprises, just like James" she announced. Surprise and pride openly displayed on her face as she considered the revelation.

"Professor?" Harry asked.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering, if you don't mind me asking that is. How is it that my … that James knows you so well. It was just something he said and I was just … wondering" he managed to ask, a blush starting to form as he realised how inappropriate his question was.

McGonagall looked slightly surprised by the question, but nevertheless answered. "I'm well acquainted with Mr Potter's parents, that is your grandparents. I've known James Potter since he was a baby and he grew up knowing me as a family friend rather than a Professor at Hogwarts. Were you not aware of that?"

Harry's blush deepened as he explained. "No Professor. I grew up in the Muggle world due to certain circumstances. I never knew" he explained, his tone indicating he did not want to discuss it further.

Luckily, McGonagall took the hint and after a few more words, she dismissed Harry from her office. Harry returned to Gryffindor Tower and found that a party was already in progress to congratulate the new members of the Quidditch team. He spent some time with James, Sirius and Remus as well as meeting the other members of the Quidditch team. Nor did he forget to thank Lily for persuading him to try out. It was late when the party finally wound down and Harry trudged up the boys' staircase and tumbled into bed. That night, Harry did not dream of Cedric, Sirius, or Voldemort. Instead, he found himself flying through the air on his Firebolt, over land and sea, enjoying the experience of complete freedom.

**********

The next morning Harry woke up feeling refreshed. The lack of nightmares the previous night ensuring his good mood. That was until he realised that his first lesson that day would be the one he most dreaded … Potions. 

Remus on the other hand, was warily approaching Sirius' bed. He called out to the sleeping teenager several times but when that garnered no visible reaction, Remus took a hold of the blanket covering his body, fully intending to whip it off in an attempt to wake Sirius up. To Remus' shock and the other boys' amusement, the blanket instead enveloped the werewolf, who then lost his balance and fell to the floor with a loud thump. The indignant muffles from the entrapped teenager were drowned out by the laughter from the other three boys in the room. 

This noise combined with the lack of a blanket woke Sirius from his slumber. His face was filled with confusion until his sapphire eyes found the source of the amusement. His mouth quirked into a grin at the rapidly reddening werewolf, whose attempts to extricate himself from the charmed blanket were completely unsuccessful.

"Remus!" Sirius managed to choke out. "What are you doing down there?"

Remus stopped struggling with the blanket and glared at Sirius, who was leaning over the end of his bed, unabashed at the fact that he was only wearing his boxers. Remus twisted his head and shoulders until his face was free from the confining blanket and narrowed his eyes at the amused teenager. 

"What do you think I'm doing Sirius?" he snarled. "I was trying to wake you up so we could get down to breakfast. But no, of course not, you idiotic fool! You just had to go ahead and charm the bloody blanket to do this!"

"Uh oh!" James sang. "Sirius mate. You know better than to piss off Remus before he's had his first two cups of tea!"

His only answer was a low growl from the direction of the blankets.

"Yes" squeaked Pettigrew in agreement, as he sat grinning on his own bed, wearing red pyjamas with moving lions. "Remember you don't want to get Remus mad. You'll end up paying for it come the-"

"SIRIUS!" shouted James, cutting Peter off abruptly. "Come on now, be a nice chap and let Remus go!"

"Oh but Jamie. Look at him. He looks all warm and cuddly. We wouldn't want to part him from his new security blanket" Sirius replied.

Harry was, much to his embarrassment, giggling. He could not help himself. The scene playing out in front of him was just too funny. '_Remus never told me about this!_' he thought as wrapped his arms across his aching sides. '_Mind you, I can understand why. I never realised that he could turn such a deep shade of red!_'

Remus' response was to growl menacingly at the amused teenagers, which only served to increase the volume of their laughter. Harry missed the short hissed conversation between Pettigrew and James, as he was too busy watching Sirius' attempts to successfully utter the counter-curse in-between his laughing, to release Remus from his 'confinement'. 

Eventually the Sixth year boys finally calmed down and were dressed in their robes, ready to face the day ahead. That is, after Remus had whacked Sirius on the head for his 'insurance policy'.

"You can damn well wake yourself up next time or just be late. See if I care" he had shouted at Sirius, who was still laughing, before storming off to the bathroom.

Luckily, Remus had calmed down by the time he had returned. Harry realised that this was an ordinary event in the lives of the Marauders and that Remus was not quite as irritated as he appeared to be. Of course, that did not stop Remus from ignoring Sirius for the next few hours, after all, he did have some pride.

**********

After breakfast, Pettigrew scurried off to the North Tower for his Divination lesson while Harry and the remaining Marauders trudged off towards the dungeons for their NEWT level Potions class. The four teenagers walked in and sat down on the left-hand side of the room, James and Remus sitting at the table behind Sirius and Harry. Over the next few minutes, several other Sixth Years entered the well lit room, including Lily, a few Ravenclaws that Harry had been introduced to, a girl who looked remarkably familiar and accompanying her, much to Harry's disgust, was a 16-year-old Snape. Harry's groan went unheard because at that moment, James and Sirius started to complain about being in the same class as _that slimy git_. 

"Why are you so peeved about the fact that Snape's in this Potions class. You didn't say much about it in the other classes we have with him" said Remus, his eyebrow raised in question.

"Because it's Potions!" stated Sirius, as if the reason was obvious to all.

"So?"

"It just is" replied James.

"He's always a smug bastard but especially so in Potions Remus, and you know it. He knows he can beat the lot of us and he always makes sure to gloat about it" Sirius sneered as he glared at the offending boy.

Remus countered. "And you two don't do the same in Transfiguration?"

"That's different!" said an offended James. "Besides, he's doesn't have that class with us".

"How is it different?"

"Remus, why are you defending that git?" Sirius asked, slightly annoyed at Remus'' questioning.

"I'm not. I just don't see the point complaining about it. He's in the class and we just have to put up with it" he explained. "Besides Sirius, you do just as well as Snape as it is. Maybe better if you put some effort into your Potions work. Why can't you just ignore Snape?"

"But where would the fun be in my life without torturing Snivellus!" James asked with a laugh.

Harry remained silent as he listened to the other three boys talk. He could not help feeling slightly upset at James' words and that perhaps Snape's opinion of his father was justified. '_He is acting like an arrogant bastard, but why?_' Harry thought in despair. '_Remus and Sirius tried to explain after I looked in Snape's pensive, but it seems … different seeing it now. He's perfectly nice one moment and now … he's horrible. I can't believe it's the same person, but then James did grow up eventually. Remus made sure to explain during summer. James sort-of got over his ego problem but still, I wish I could change his mind. However, if he won't listen to Remus, what chance is there that he'll listen to the new kid!_'

"Harry?"

"Harry!"

Harry turned around to face Remus who had been calling his name. "Hmm?"

Remus looked at him with a concerned expression. "You alright there? You seemed to zone off again. Mind you I can understand why, listening to these two moaning" he said with a small smile.

"Hey! I resent that!" Sirius replied. "I am a wonderful caring lovely person. I see no reason to moan unless I'm in detention with Filch or it involves Slytherins".

"Guys" Remus chastised. "Behave!"

"Remus is pulling his Prefect status on us! Help me Harry!" cried Sirius, grabbing Harry by the shoulders and pretending to hide from his friend behind Harry.

"Come on Sirius, Remus will promise not to hurt you" coaxed Harry. "Won't you Remus?"

"I suppose so" he finally agreed, after receiving a poke in the side from James.

Sirius looked at Harry with a lost puppy expression. "Will you protect me?" he asked. 

Harry could not help but grin at the look on Sirius' face. There was no other way to describe it … it was just _adorable_. Harry snorted. Sirius … adorable? Who would have thought! Harry was stopped from replying by the arrival of the Potions teacher, Professor Phalin. Instead, they were quickly put to work in pairs to create a skin restorative balm.

"So really?" Sirius began to ask in a whisper as he went about finely slicing the Boomslang skin. "What were you thinking about?"

Realising that Sirius would not be put off from his questioning, Harry decided to appease him somewhat. "It nothing, really. I was just wondering what the teacher would be like. Potions is my worst subject that I'm taking at NEWT level and my last teacher … well, it's safe to say he loathed me" he said, his eyes unconsciously glancing at the younger Snape before meeting Sirius' blue eyes. "He would find the slightest wrong thing, any opportunity possible, to pick on me".

Sirius swore. "What a bastard! Sounds like he needs a good hex or two"! 

"Oh I think he might have had a fair few when he was younger. That might have been the reason" Harry said. "Besides, if I did try to hex him … he would have definitely found some way to expel me, not that he hadn't tried several times already!"

Sirius grinned at Harry. "So, you're a troublemaker?"

Harry sighed as he stirred potion. "Not really. Even so, trouble seems to follow me wherever I go". 

The two teenagers spent the next hour concentrating on the potion they were making. Sirius was, as Remus said, quite gifted in the art of potion brewing. It was quite a surprise to Harry, who had not known about this particular skill of Sirius'. Then again, there wasn't much use for it when on the run, Harry supposed. It also went some way to explain the possible hatred between Sirius and Snape, though Harry suspected that there was another, _less Hogwarts inclined_, reason as well. 

The potion seemed to be going quite well and Harry grabbed a few leeches to add to the cauldron. His hand was over the bubbling concoction when a slightly bigger hand covered his own, causing Harry to jump at the sudden contact. Harry felt a shiver run down his spine and followed the hand that held his own to meet the bright sapphire eyes of Sirius.

"If you had added that" he said, moving his eyes to look at Harry's hand, "to the cauldron, it would have caused an explosion"

Harry paled as he realised what he had almost done before embarrassment caused his face to redden. Keeping his eyes on the worktop he put the leeches back from where he had grabbed them and studiously studied the notes he had made. He did not want to see the look in Sirius' eyes when he realised how pathetically bad Harry was at Potions. '_For Merlin's sake! How am I, the **bloody **Boy-Who-Lived, supposed to be the one who can defeat Voldemort! I'm supposed to have this power he possesses not and I can't even brew a **simple** potion!_' he though angrily. '_What must Sirius think, having to work with me! Someone obviously dim-witted enough to almost cause an explosion!_'

A soft touch on his arm brought him out of his chastising thoughts. Sirius spoke quietly into his ear. "Don't do that to yourself … it could have happened to anyone. It doesn't matter anyway. No harm done, no problem".

"I'm not doing anything" Harry replied.

"Yes you were" Sirius whispered fiercely. "You were thinking that you're useless and talentless. That you should be perfect and able to do everything that is asked of you. You were comparing yourself to other people and thinking that you'll never be able to compete"

"I wasn't" Harry tried to deny. "What makes you think that?"

A strange look came over Sirius' features. "Experience" was his only answer.

Harry's jaw fell as that simple word. '_Why would Sirius have ever thought he was useless, that he would not be able to perform some piece of magic?_' Harry could not believe it, not of Sirius. '_The Sirius I knew … the older Sirius, and even this 16 year-old Sirius, just exude confidence. He even died with it_'.

Harry was not given the chance to further question Sirius or to deny his accusations because the skin restorative potion was finally finished. He watched as Sirius filled a glass vial and sealed it. As Sirius magically cleaned the cauldron, Harry charmed the glass to be unbreakable. He had learnt the lesson the hard way the previous year and was not eager to repeat it. Harry handed the sample back to Sirius and began to clear the potion ingredients that were scattered across the worktop.

Harry kept a discrete eye on Sirius as he walked down the narrow aisle towards Phalin's desk when he was suddenly tripped. Standing at the table that Sirius had just passed, Harry saw the sneering face of a satisfied looking Snape. Sirius let out a shout as he twisted his body to prevent himself from falling to the floor but in the process lost his grip on the vial of the brewed potion. Harry moved from his table, intent on reaching Sirius but found his way blocked by several curious students. Harry fought his way through, followed closely by James and Remus.

Sirius had straightened and was now facing Snape, an angry expression marring his handsome face. Even from a couple of metres away, Harry could feel the tension and hate that hung around the two teenagers and his heart beat faster as he thought about what might possibly happen. Snape's black eyes glinted with satisfaction as Sirius' normally bright sapphire eyes had darkened with anger. Sirius whipped out his wand ready to curse the Slytherin and Snape's own wand appeared in a blink of the eye.

"What was that for Snape?" Sirius snarled.

"Just thought you should see the world from the perspective you've decided to associate yourself with" a sneering Snape explained. "Traitors and Mudbloods. It's such a pity, a Pureblood lowering himself to their level. How was the view?"

"Stuff it Snivellus! It's your types who are the traitors. Get back in the dirt where you belong" retorted Sirius. "You're just a pathetic greasy git who thinks, just because you're a Pureblooded wizard, the world should bow to your whims!"

"I would have expected better, what with your heritage" Snape sneered, before pointedly turning to look at Harry. Harry, who was confused regarding the meaning behind Snape's attentions, felt James and Remus tense behind him. Turning back to face Sirius, Snape continued in the same tone of voice. "Yet you still persist in associating with common filthy Mudbloods!"

Harry stiffened at the insult but somehow managed to stop himself from hexing Snape himself. It was at that moment when Professor Phalin suddenly appeared behind Snape, preventing Sirius from cursing the Slytherin into the Hospital Wing for a week.

"What is going on here?" she asked, eyebrow raised at the sight of the two wands pointing at each other. "Mr Snape, Mr Black? Care to explain why you have each other at wand-point?"

"Snivellus here, tripped me over as I was going to hand in our potion sample" Sirius spat out in an explanation, all the while continuing to glare at Snape.

"It was merely an accident Professor" he replied, throwing a threatening glare back at the taller boy. "It's a pity that Black doesn't have any more of the potion" he said in a mocking voice. "I just suppose he'll have to fail the lesson. Just like the rest of your life, isn't it Black?"

"Fuck off Snape!" he snapped. At that moment, Harry did not want to do anything more than punch Snape right in his abnormally large nose. However, he was distracted by a glint of light from the corner of his eye. Looking closer, he noticed that it was their sample vial. Ducking under the table, Harry grabbed the vial, thankful that he had remembered to cast the unbreakable charm on the glass.

"Such crude language Cousin" a strange voice interrupted. It was the girl that Harry had noted seemed awfully familiar. "Auntie always tried to stop you but you never did listen, did you Sirius?" she said, looking down her nose at the taller Sirius. Harry was suddenly hit by the realisation of the identity of this new girl. It was Narcissa Malfoy, or Black at this particular time. "She tried her best, but you were always a disappointment … and you always will be" she said sadly.

Harry wanted to shout at her, to defend Sirius. He wanted to tell her the brave things Sirius had done, while her notable accomplishment was to bring the spawn of Lucius Malfoy into the world. Something the Wizarding community could have well done without. Unfortunately, he knew he couldn't. He couldn't defend one of the bravest, most honest and caring men in his life. Why wasn't Phalin doing anything to stop Snape and Narcissa Black? Harry glanced over to the Potions teacher and saw that her expression was slack with shock.

"Piss off Cissa. You're just like the rest of them. Too bloody concerned with the purity of blood to even see what people are really like. Thank Merlin at least Roma managed to get out when she did!" hissed Sirius in reply. Harry could feel the anger, the hurt, and hate emanating from the dark-haired teenager. His tanned face was red with anger and hand clenched tightly around his wand. "Thank Merlin I got out of that damned house as well! You have no right to tell me what to do Narcissa. I'll live my life how I want to, not how Mother and you think I should!" he snarled.

The small scene that was taking place had caught the attention of the entire class of students and one teacher and Sirius had to push past several students who had approached the table to better hear the argument. Harry watched, frozen where he stood, as black robes billowed behind Sirius as he stalked out of the dungeon, not once looking back at the Slytherins or his friends. There was a small disturbance behind Harry, before James also pushed past the students, running after his best friend. 

Now that the spectacle was over, most of the students moved back to their cauldrons and began to clear up. Harry, still holding the glass vial, stood facing the door Sirius and James had just left through, Snape and Narcissa Black still in his line of sight. He could not believe Snape's audacity, how malicious he had just been. But then, was he really surprised? '_Snape did almost kill Sirius, wanting to hand him over to the Dementors at the end of Harry's Third Year, and there was that incident involving Remus at school_'. Harry's mind went blank, unable to process the events that had just played out in front of him. It was Remus' hand on his shoulder that drew him back to reality. Harry tuned in to the shouts of Phalin, who it seemed, had recovered from her temporary state of shock.

"Mr Snape! Miss Black! I will not have a scene like that in my class. You _will_ behave while in this room. 20 points from Slytherin each and 10 points will be taken from Gryffindor for Mr Potter leaving the lesson without permission!" Phalin ordered. "Now Mr Snape, I would suggest you collect your sample and clean up your work area". With that, she moved away from the two students and returned to the front of the classroom in order to collect the students' samples.

Snape glared at the Professor for a moment and Harry could easily discern the dislike in his black eyes. "Huh! How come Black didn't have any points taken off from Gryffindor for running off like a coward" he muttered quietly, yet still loud enough for Harry and Remus to hear.

Harry took a step forward, ready to shout at Snape himself but was stopped by Remus who whispered in his ear. "Stop! Harry think! He's just baiting you, trying to make us lose more House points. Don't give into him here".

The words managed to penetrate the red haze in Harry's mind and he flashed a grateful look at Remus. However, it seemed that Snape was not done. "Gryffindor favouritism! That's what it is" he muttered. Harry snorted. Snape, complaining about favouritism, what a joke! The slimy git couldn't wait to take points off the other Houses, especially Gryffindor. 

"At least Sirius and that Potter-lookalike Mudblood with him don't have a potion Severus" murmured Narcissa, as she lazily flicked her wand at the table.

Harry brightened up considerably. In a loud voice, he said, "What? You mean the vial Sirius dropped?" Harry held the glass vial up so that the two Slytherins could clearly see the potion sealed within. "I suppose it was lucky that I thought to put an unbreakable charm on the glass. Otherwise it would have been a great pity, all that hard work with nothing to show" he said. 

With a triumphant smile at the two glowering faces, Harry walked up to Phalin and handed her the sample Sirius and he had made. Remus, who had obviously grabbed their bags, met him at the desk. He took his own bag as well as Sirius' and the two of them hurriedly left the dungeon, intent on finding James or Sirius. 

**********

Notes:

Hey! I did it! I said it would be written and edited by Sunday and it is. I made a bit of a mistake in the last note, but you have to forgive me. I did write it at 3am. Currently, the total number of words in Chapter 5 is over 17,000. That is a hell of a lot of words and the file was just too big to put on here in one go. I'm thinking about splitting up future chapters into smaller parts, but I'll see how I go. Anyway, we finally had the Quidditch scene and poor Sirius *sniff*, I just want to hug the poor guy. I wonder if I can get another 20 reviews before I next update. I'd love to hit the 100 mark!

I just want to say that **ping*pong5** has started a time-travel fic and the first two chapters so far are great, so pop along and have a look. Another one is **Vicious Lily's **MST (see my favourite stories) of _Chamber of Secrets_. Please read and then beg her to update. I haven't read anything as sarcastically funny as that since _Dr Daniel Jackson's Diary_. It's good and I want more!

Just another little note again. I wrote a (at the moment) one off AU OotP piece called **Expelled** as an exercise to see if I could write a short piece. I'm not sure if I succeeded but I would love it if you would read it and let me know what you think. 

Many thanks to the following people who gave up their time to read and review. You make it all worthwhile! **Sphere_hunter87, ping*pong5, Piper of Locksley, Alynna Lis Eachann, Melissa, Jack Sparrow, SilverKnight7, HarryGryffinGirl, Lily, Romm, Witchy-Althea, zorro x, petites sorcières, szelij, Necromant, Elfy19, gaul1, jenbachand, snifflesaboutsnuffles, freakie **and **Arya1**.

Special thanks to **Firesword **and **Vicious Lily** for their help, advice, and encouragement

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Sphere_hunter87 - Thank you. Yes there is, and it's a slash pairing for Harry. The other characters, well, it's still up in the air.

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Ping*pong5 - I promised to update didn't I? Well I made James a Chaser because that's what JK Rowling said he was, though it does seem like she's possibly changed her mind. However in my mind, James is a capable Seeker as well, just as I think Harry can play another position quite well (not saying what yet, but there has been a clue in the books/movie)

As for Remus/Harry or Sirius/Harry. This is fanfiction so anything can happen. In my opinion, age is not a factor in love, it crosses all boundaries. Like I said though, the slash is important, but not the point of the fic so you can ignore it if you want. Harry is still a teenager and doesn't necessarily realise he might like guys as well, but he'll soon have his mind changed!

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Firesword - Snape, as you can see from this chapter, does not deem Harry worthy of his attentions at the moment, though I promise that will change. Added to that, he looks like James and is a Gryffindor … instant dislike. I knew where I was going with Snape but a few people have asked about him and you're Sev is so adorable so I'll start asking now, and will continue to ask at several points in this fic, shall I redeem Snape? Eventually he turns to the Light, but do you want Harry to have a part in it? Basically, it can happen either way, but Snape will be really _really _horrible before he's good.

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Piper of Locksley - Harry and Remus? There is a special relationship between the two teens and I will admit to there being an interesting situation arising with those two in a few chapter's time. As for a relationship, wait and see.

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Jack Sparrow - Thanks for reviewing but I'm afraid the story will involve a slashed Harry. I'm sorry it's not to your liking. I think I should point out that while the relationship is instrumental to the story, it will _not _be the sole focus of the story. The point of this fic has already been mentioned, in fact in the first chapter. It is more to do with the growth of the characters and their reactions to the situations they find themselves in. The relationship and its consequences lead to a situation where Harry must finally realise the meaning behind the Prophesy. Basically, there are no females in this time (apart from Lily, which is just wrong!) that we know well enough for Harry to have a relationship with. 

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Romm - He won't need to back it up, at least not in my notes so far. The point was that it's far away enough that the students at the school and especially the Death Eaters and their spawn can't check that Harry isn't who he says he is. Can you imagine if Voldemort discovered that Harry was from the future? I chose South Africa purely because a lot of people from England emigrated there in the 60s and 70s.

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zorro x - Harry won't be a big prankster, but he will use some of the joke items in his possession. I don't see Harry as a cry-baby either and I dislike reading that kind of Harry. He is a strong person going through unimaginable things. He's a teenager with a purpose, but he has to learn to accept it first. I'm trying to keep Harry as realistic as possible and grounding much of what happens in canon but things will occur to the characters that Rowling would never have imagined. Even so, there will be no uber-powerful Harry but he will kick some butts! You'll have to wait and see whose butts they are though.

I think that the Marauders were more pranksters than bullies, but I do admit that they had the bullying side to them. It's just that Snape and the Slytherins brought it out. Remember the teachers remember James and Sirius with fondness. People don't remember bullies like that, nor would a proper bully ever be made Quidditch Captain or Head Boy. As for Crabbe and Goyle, I admit I think I made a mistake in placing them at that time. I think they're closer to Lucius Malfoy's age but I think they'll make great Beaters and want to keep them. As for Snape being the loner? In _Goblet of Fire_, Sirius mentions that Snape hung out with a group of Slytherins who all turned out to be Death Eaters. In my opinion, this means that Snape did have flunkies. Thanks for the remarks about Peter. If you see anything that bothers you, let me know and I'll try to justify my choices.

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petites sorcières - I chose to learn Latin and German at school but I managed to understand the review. Thank you but I admit I was slightly confused about Hermione, she's still in the future. Voldemort? Wait and see is all I'll say.

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szelij - I won't repeat myself, please look at my reply to Jack Sparrow's review. I am writing it the way I am, with the slashed relationship because that's the way it will works best. As for Harry/Remus etc it being wrong? Well this is fanfiction, it's for the impossible to happen. You need a very open mind to read this fic but it is worth it.

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Necromant - I hope you like the Harry-Snape interaction in the above chapter. There will be several other encounters between the two of them, one of which is part of a crucial plot twist later on in the story.

Snape got his revenge, poor Sirius. Remus and Harry are close aren't they. That's going to be interesting methinks! As for the Christmas surprise, it is, hopefully, something unexpected and I'm not going to hint at it. Random guesses are welcome and I'll tell you how hot or cold you are. That's a fair few chapters away though and I may change my mind on giving out a clue.

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Elfy19 - Yes, it is going to be slash. *Sobs* I miss Tonks! *more sobbing*

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Witchy-Althea - *blushes* Thanks so much, that's so sweet. I hope you're feeling better. I'm trying with Peter but I still don't think I've got a grip of the character so he's not featuring heavily yet. That and the fact that I could happily feed him to Mrs Norris! Wouldn't feel guilty at all.

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Vicious Lily - Please update, pretty please? Begging here … very embarrassing. I can't wait to include more Lily, but it's going to be a while yet. I kinda forgot about her in my notes (bad SStar) and there is subtext? Only in our twisted minds! Actally, it's a bit early for both of them, but yes … it is there.

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Arya1 - Oh my god! I love AoF and I can't believe you like mine. Wow. *Blushes fiercely* Thanks for the comments. The thing with the Marauders Map is obvious isn't it? For that reason, it's not the way the James, Sirius, and Remus find out about Harry's identity in my fanfic. I have hinted how it will happen and I hope it's slightly more original.

I apologise in advance for any mistakes, spelling, grammatical or otherwise. It is all my fault since this is unbeta'd. Please **review (long is good!) **and send any helpful comments, all will be appreciated. Any flames, however, will be, in all honesty, read then disregarded. Thank you for reading!

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SStar


	7. Wild Magic and Good Intentions

Comments: e-mail at sstar_luna@yahoo.co.uk or Review button below.

Rating: PG-13 for now, although that may change later. Will be **slash **later in the story. HP/?, JP/LP

Spoilers: Books 1-5. Do not read unless you have FINISHED _The Order of the Phoenix_.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot. All Harry Potter™ characters and settings are the sole intellectual property of JK Rowling, Warner Bros. and various others who all aren't connected to me in any way. No money is being made with this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

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Chapter 6: Wild Magic and Good Intentions

James made himself comfortable in an armchair in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor Common Room. From this current position, he was able to see the doors leading to both the boys' and the girls' dorms. Sirius settled down next to a tired looking Remus, who was sat on a plush red coloured couch, facing James. Peter, who had just emerged from the boys' staircase, grabbed a chair and dragged it across the room until he was at James' right hand side.

"You know Prongs? These early morning sessions of yours … they're not going to be weekly events, are they?" questioned Sirius as he fought to keep himself from yawning. He ran his hand through his glossy shoulder length ebony hair. "You could have at least have given me a few minutes to sort out my hair. Unlike yours, mine makes me look like a film star and I would like to keep it like that way, thank you very much!"

"Why … I think Padfoot here didn't get _quite _enough beauty sleep last night!" James remarked with a smirk. "Who are you trying to impress anyway?"

"No one in particular" he replied. "There's no harm in looking though, is there?"

"It is a bit strange you know" stated Peter.

"What would that be Wormtail?" asked Sirius, raising his eyebrow at the mousy-haired boy.

Peter began to fiddle with his robes, avoiding Sirius' piercing blue eyes. "It's just that, normally you've usually been on a couple of dates, or going out with someone by now."

"You know, Wormtail's right" James mused out loud. "Remember last year on the train? Didn't you have something like three dates before we'd even arrived at Hogwarts?"

The expression on Sirius' face changed from annoyance to smugness before an indifferent mask formed. Fortunately, Remus interrupted. "Fascinating as this is" he said. "We're actually here for another reason … about tonight" he reminded the other three teenagers. 

"Have you decided what to do yet?" asked Peter, a discernible quiver in his voice. "Wouldn't it be safer if you stayed in the Shack by yourself for tonight? I mean, then Harry wouldn't notice that we were missing" he suggested.

"What! We haven't let Moony spend the night of the full moon alone since we've become Animagi. I'm not about to start now. Nothing will keep me away" Sirius stated emphatically.

"I don't know Padfoot. Peter has a point. It's easier to conceal a single person than all four of us," Remus said.

Sirius snorted. "What are you saying, you want us to stay in? Come on, you know the wolf loves it when we're with you. Besides," he said, his tone becoming gentler. "You always say that it's less … how do I put it, you don't hurt yourself anywhere near as much when we're there with you. Harry or not, Padfoot will definitely be there with you tonight. I won't let my friend go through something like this on his own when I can be there to help."

"I agree with Sirius" James added. "It's all good and proper saying that Harry's less likely to notice something's up if it was just you who was missing, but we're your best friends. We became Animagi to help you during the transformation. We'll figure something out, but we'll all be there, right?" he asked, looking sternly at Peter for a moment. Turning back to look at the pale looking werewolf, he carried on, "You just worry about yourself for now. Is it the tummy upset one this time?"

Remus' lips curled into a small smile. "Well, I haven't used that one for … oh, about four years?"

"Well that's great! What's next?" Sirius announced. "Nothing?"

"If we're done, can we get some breakfast?" asked Peter.

"Wormtail" Sirius chuckled, shaking his head. "Always thinking with his stomach!"

"And you don't?" countered James with a smirk.

"Hey!" Sirius pouted.

Remus let out a laugh, the tired lines on his face disappearing for a moment. "Now, now, Prongs. You must admit that Padfoot does think of other things," he said. 

In response, Sirius' lips curved into a smirk. Remus continued. "He thinks up ways to torture the Slytherins you must admit, pranks too! Oh, and of course, sex! Mustn't forget that last one!" he said.

Sirius' smirk disappeared and a frown formed in its place. "I can be substantial!" He said in his own defence. 

"Of course you can. You just choose not to let it show" James teased.

"Sure. Fine. Make fun of me all you want. I'm going back upstairs to finish getting ready" he announced. 

"Padfoot! Wake Harry up while you're up there making yourself all pretty!" James shouted at Sirius' retreating figure.

Sirius did not bother to turn around and face his best friend. Instead, he flicked his finger at the three laughing teenagers. "Piss off!" he growled before hurrying up the stairs.

**********

"Hey Lily. Are you free?" Harry greeted with a smile. "Or shall I come back in a bit?"

Lily looked up from where she had been talking to her friend. "Harry! Oh my, is it that time already? Wait a minute, I'll just grab my stuff and meet you at the table" she said, before hurrying up the stairs that led to the girls' dorms.

A few minutes later, Lily reappeared in the Common Room. She looked slightly harried after running up and down the stairs. Her face was lightly flushed from the exertion and her emerald coloured eyes sparkled. Her fiery red hair however, which had originally been tied back, was now coming loose due to all the running she had done. She sat down in the empty seat next to Harry and took the tie out, running her hand through her shoulder length hair, freeing it from tangles. "Sorry about that" she apologised. "I must have lost track of the time after dinner".

"That's okay. I think James, Sirius, and Peter have gone to plan some sort of pranks or another" Harry mentioned. "They weren't in the dorm just now when I grabbed my books and Remus went to sort out his stomach upset. I'm probably a bit early anyway". Harry shrugged in apology.

He could not help but feel as if he was missing something, that he had forgotten an important fact. It wasn't his scar. Strangely enough, he hadn't felt even a twinge since he had arrived in 1976. Nor was it any outstanding piece of homework. He had found that spending time with Remus and Lily ensured that he kept up with the assigned work. Of course, he could not help but feel slightly envious of James and Sirius. True to what he had been told, the two of them were extremely bright and seemed to breeze through the lessons without doing any work at all. Of course, Harry had also seen another side to them, one that he had not known much about. 

After that memorable Potions lesson, Harry and Remus had found Sirius and James in their dorm. It had been painfully obvious to Harry how close the two black-haired boys were. The concern that James displayed caused a aching tug in his heart, but it was Sirius' hurt blue eyes that caused Harry's own eyes to prickle with unshed tears. How he wished he could curse Snape and Narcissa Black for hurting his Godfather. Before Harry could say anything, which would have most likely revealed his true identity, Sirius had formed a mask of indifference, successfully hiding his emotions. It had hurt Harry that Sirius thought that he could not trust him, to show his true feelings when he was around, but he reminded himself of his own behaviour and his need for privacy. 

Unfortunately, James had not able to stay with his best friend because he had an Ancient Runes class after lunch, along with Remus, therefore leaving Harry and Sirius together, both of whom had no lessons that afternoon. As James had left the dorm, he had thrown Harry a look that clearly said not to hurt Sirius any more than he already was, otherwise Harry would have to deal with him, and it would not be a pleasant experience. 

Harry had found it quite awkward to begin with, but eventually he and Sirius had managed to spend a reasonably pleasant afternoon together. Harry had not questioned Sirius about the incident in the Potions lesson. Mainly because he already knew about Sirius leaving Grimmauld Place, though Sirius did know that he knew, but also because Sirius went out of his way to pretend that nothing significant had occurred. They had walked around the grounds of Hogwarts on their way to Hagrid's hut where Harry had been introduced to his first ever wizarding friend. Harry found it slightly difficult to hide his prior knowledge and friendship with Hagrid, but as the afternoon passed by, drinking tea and listening to the various tales and exploits, he had finally managed to relax in their company.

Lily smiled in reply as she sorted through her notes. "Shall we have a quick look at Healing first? Have you completed the diagrams?" she asked.

"Yes. I finished it off Sunday night" Harry replied. He checked over his annotated diagrams of the human body, both male and female. "I didn't realise that we'd be studying the body though. Why would we need to know about _metacarpals_ and _phalanges_ anyway? Okay, I know _why _we need to know, but memorising it all?"

"I guess it's not really a good idea for us to try and heal something without knowing where bits are and how they work in the big scheme of things. Can you imagine how embarrassing it would be if instead of fixing a broken arm, you managed to get rid of all the bones instead. Just because you didn't know where the _metacarpals_ were? I mean, you'd feel like a right idiot, wouldn't you?" Lily exclaimed with a laugh.

Harry was struck by the irony in her statement, remembering the incident in his second year with Lockhart after the first game against Slytherin, when he had to regrow all the bones in his arm. To his dismay, Harry had discovered that Gilderoy Lockhart was a student here in 1976, a Fifth Year in Slytherin in fact. Not that Harry was all that surprised, Lockhart was a cunning idiot, but an idiot all the same.

"No," he murmured with a smile. "No, you would have to be a bit of a twit to do that!"

**********

Sirius watched as James threw another robe out of his trunk with a groan. For the last few minutes, he had watched his best friend rummage through his books and clothes, searching for the elusive thing he was obviously after. One such item of clothing landed on Sirius, who grimaced before picking it off his head with his fingers.

Gingerly holding a pair of purple boxers with moving snitches, he called out to his bespectacled friend. "Prongs! What in Merlin's name are you looking for?" he shouted. "It can't be that important, especially since we have to leave in a few minutes."

"What! Padfoot? Oh … I was just trying to find…"

"Leave it for now Prongs. It can't be that important," said Sirius. "Wormtail. You should probably transform now since the cloak won't cover the three of us. Besides, it's going to be interesting getting out of the Common Room without anyone noticing us as it is."

Peter performed the transformation and James, who had magically spelled his belongings back into his trunk, picked up the slightly fat grey rat, and placed him on his shoulder. Grabbing his silvery invisibility cloak, he moved to stand next to Sirius and covered them both. Slowly and carefully, using their several years' of experience, they started to move down the empty staircase.

"You know Prongs," Sirius whispered. "We're going to have to have a chat about your underwear."

"What!" James hissed.

"Shhh! Keep your voice down!" Sirius said, looking over the common room and it's current occupants. Unfortunately, the door to the corridor outside was closed and there was no sign that it was about to open any time soon. "What?" he hissed as he felt a tug on his arm.

"Over here. I want to get a bit closer," James said, jerking his head towards a table.

Sirius frowned. "What are you talking about?" 

He looked in the direction that James was gesturing towards. Sirius narrowed his blue eyes as he realised what James had already noticed. Without further ado, he grabbed James and dragged him over to the table. Wormtail gave a small squeak as James almost tripped under the force of Sirius' forceful tugging. As they got closer to the table, they could hear some of the conversation.

"… Then there's my sister, she's slightly older than I am. Her name is Petunia. She's well … slightly less pleased about my being a witch" Evans explained, her eyes not moving from the table.

"I know what you mean" Harry said. Sirius was not sure, but he thought he saw something in the other boy's face, but it was gone before he could examine it further.

"Really? I didn't know you were muggle-born?" Evans replied, looking up.

Harry frowned slightly before replying. "I'm not. I'm muggle raised though. A muggle family took me in when I was very young. They … they don't really approve of magic though." 

"What happened to your parents?"

Harry's green eyes shone with unshed tears. Sirius could clearly see that Harry was torn. From the slight stiffening in his thin body, to the fact that he was biting down on his lips, it was all screaming tension to the black-haired animagus. Harry closed his eyes and Sirius unconsciously held his breath, waiting for his answer.

"My parents … I don't really remember them. Actually, I only have the one memory of them, when they were murdered" Harry said, not daring to meet Lily's eyes. 

Besides him, Sirius felt James tense. Of course Remus had told them about the talk he had with Harry after the DADA lesson about the Dementors, but to hear it in Harry's own words. The pain and longing in the tone, how much it still hurt him. Sirius' heart went out to Harry.

Sirius had chosen to leave his family, along with their pureblood issues. He did not really consider them his family anymore. He had only been back at Hogwarts for a week and he had already had an argument with Narcissa. His darling brother, the apple of his Mother's eye, well … he hadn't bothered speaking to him. In all probability, Regulus would just regurgitate his Mother's opinions. It wasn't as if it was anything worth listening to. Harry's words stopped him mulling over his own family.

"I don't know who my parents were. I was adopted and grew up not realising there was such a thing as magic. That is until a wizard arrived at our house and told my family about my magical abilities. It was a shock to say the least, but well … here I am" he finished. 

There was something about what Harry had just said that struck Sirius, that something was not right. Not a lie, but not the truth either. It was in his posture, the way he avoided Evans' eyes. Besides him, James face had filled with sympathy. Obviously, his best friend was also affected by Harry's words.

"But … but wouldn't one of your parents' family or friends have taken you in?" pressed Evans, though her face had paled and her eyes glimmered.

"I'm sorry" Harry apologised. "Can we not talk about this right now? It's just … you know."

"Of course" apologised Evans, looking slightly distraught. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pressed so hard. It was incredibly rude of me"

"No, no" Harry tried to reassure, though Sirius privately felt that he did not succeed all that well. "It's okay, really. I just … don't talk about it much."

James, who had pinched his arm, snapped Sirius out of his semi-stupor. "Ow!" he hissed. "What was that for?"

"Door!" was his only reply.

Sirius took one last look at the pale faced Harry sitting at the table with Evans before walking quickly across the Common Room, successfully exiting the common room without anyone noticing their presence. 

"What was that all about?" James whispered. There was a squeak from the grey rat perched on his shoulder. In reply, Sirius could only shake his head in confusion.

**********

Harry opened his eyes. He felt extremely disorientated as he lay on his bed. The last vestiges of a dream he could not recall slipping from his mind like water down a drain. He took a deep breath, feeling the soft fabric covering him move as he twisted his body. The dryness of his throat caused him to leave his warm, comfortable bed. Harry grabbed his thin gold frame glasses before picking up an empty goblet and padding over to the water jug in the room. 

Harry walked over to the large window as he sipped from the goblet. The night was cool and the sky clear, with silvery moonlight streaming through the window, illuminating the boys' room. In the quiet of the night, Harry heard howling from the distance. Suddenly everything clicked in his mind. Remus' strange stomach upset, the others disappearing to plan a prank and finally that nagging feeling he had been experiencing all day. It was the Full Moon. 

Harry frowned as he looked over the seemingly empty grounds. '_How could I have forgotten! I mean all the signs were there … oh, I am **so** stupid! What's the date … the 10th … but that's wrong! Remus' last transformation was only three weeks ago. I was expecting the full moon next week, not tonight … how did I manage to miss it … 20 years! That's it! The phases of the moon are obviously different; after all, I travelled 20 years into the past! I don't believe it never clicked!_' 

Harry shook his head in dismay, rolling his emerald eyes as he contemplated his stupidity. '_At least I know where they all are now. Moony, and his pack; Padfoot, Prongs and … Wormtail. I suppose they don't trust me enough to tell me about Remus and of course, they don't know that I already know! I wonder if I should hint … maybe, maybe not. Maybe if I just mention that I don't mind, then they wouldn't need to lie, and it's not as if I'm telling them that I know about them being Animagi.._.'

Harry heard another howl coming from the direction of the Forbidden Forest. With a small smile, he returned to his bed and lay down under the warm, soft sheets. Closing his eyes, his last thought was '_I wonder what my dad looks like in his animagus form. Does he look like my Patronus…_' before falling back into the black oblivion of sleep.

**********

Wednesday evening found Harry walking back into the busy Gryffindor common room dressed in his sweaty Quidditch robes and holding his Firebolt. He had just participated in his first Quidditch practice. It was an interesting experience, Harry supposed. James had been more concerned with Holmes, the new Beater, and had spent the majority of the practice talking to Sirius and Holmes about various plays he wanted them to work on. 

Harry had spent a few minutes watching the two Beaters in the air, flying after Bludgers and waving their bats. He could tell that the other two Chasers, while obviously talented, were not as good as the trio of Katie, Angelina, and Alicia. However, James was an excellent Chaser and more than made up for it. Sirius was also an excellent flyer, though his movements were wild and impulsive, the style was distinctively Sirius, and it carried within, an inborn grace.

Harry, instead, had used the time to reacquaint himself with flying. Though his unusual tryout had been exhilarating, Harry had in all honestly, only been on his broom twice since his Quidditch ban had been revoked. He had realised that he needed to regain some of his stamina before he could realistically be able to play in a Quidditch match. 

Fifteen minutes later, a much cleaner Harry emerged from the bathroom and changed into a pair of black jeans and a purple T-shirt that screamed Tonks. Spotting Remus, who was reading on his bed, Harry approached the still tired looking werewolf. Remus had returned to classes just that morning, looking more tired than Harry had ever remembered him being, but he put it down to the lack of the Wolfsbane Potion in this time.

Harry wanted to ask Remus about James' strange behaviour the past couple of days. He did not feel comfortable asking Sirius, after all he was James' best friend. Pettigrew on the other hand, well, Harry tried to have as little contact with the traitor as possible for fear of revealing the treachery he would commit in the future. Remus was the one he felt most comfortable in approaching regarding this problem. Whether it was due to the summer he had spent with the older werewolf after Sirius' death, or for some other reason, Harry did not know.

"Hey" Harry greeted. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit better," Remus replied with a small smile. "Madam Pomfrey insisted on keeping me in until I felt better."

Harry smiled at Remus, allowing him to keep his secret. "I was wondering if I could ask you something?" he said.

"Sure"

"Well, it's kind of really stupid actually. It's probably just me imagining things" Harry started. Seeing Remus' reassuring smile, he gathered his courage and asked "Is James upset with me for some reason?"

Remus frowned. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, it was while you were ill. Tuesday, James just seemed a bit … cool" recalled Harry. "It was like … I'm not sure. He was annoyed with me? I can't think of anything that I've done recently so I was wondering if you knew. Today however, he seemed, well normal again."

"Ah" Remus sighed. "I remember Peter mentioned something in passing that might explain James' behaviour. I don't know if you know yet, but James has taken a bit of a fancy to Lily."

"I had noticed " Harry replied, suppressing the smile that threatened to break out.

Remus chuckled. "I think everyone knows. James hasn't been all that discreet about his feelings. Anyway, I think he's become aware that you and Lily seem to be getting on quite well and possibly … may have been a bit jealous?" he said. "Hmmm, maybe not quite that. Perhaps envious at the friendship you two have would be a better way to put it. After all, you and he do look similar, and Lily likes to spend time with you. I suppose you can see where he's coming from."

"But … but, there's nothing going on with Lily and me! I don't fancy her" he exclaimed, a small amount of disgust at the thought slipping out with his words. "She's a lovely person, but I see her more like a … relative. I could never imagine going out with her, it'd be _wrong_. I've already told Peter this … I don't get why James would think that!"

"Don't worry about it. Someone probably put James straight if he's okay with you today. It's actually quite amusing though. James is head over heels for Lily, but she won't give him the time of day. '_Too arrogant_' she says."

"Well," Harry began in a conspiratorial tone, "I guess we'll just have to do something to change that, won't we?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Remus tilted his head to the side as he gazed at Harry. Slowly, a smile formed on his face. "We will" he agreed. "Firstly…"

**********

Harry was standing in the corner of a strangely familiar dusty room. It was filled with broken furniture and the paper was peeling from the walls. The windows were boarded up, but Harry could still see the stains over the floor … blood. Harry looked around the room several times before recognition struck him. It was one of the rooms in the Shrieking Shack! Harry heard scuffling in the upstairs room and without any worry for his safety, he ran up the crumbling staircase until he reached the bedroom. 

Remus, with his tired face and light-brown hair flecked with grey, was sitting on the magnificent four-poster bed, a sad expression on his face. He did not seem to have noticed Harry's abrupt appearance in the bedroom. Instead, he seemed to be preparing for something. Harry watched, first in confusion then in shock as Remus stiffened. His limbs began to shake with small tremors. _Remus was transforming!_ His body lengthened and hair began to sprout all over his hands and face. He had turned into a werewolf. Harry watched with wide green eyes as the werewolf let out a long sad-sounding howl before curling up on the bed, Moony's amber eyes seemingly reflecting the pain and loneliness he felt.

The scene changed. 

The run down bedroom turned into grey stone. The bed faded and in it's place was a stone dais.

Harry instantly recognised the scene. 

He was back in the Department of Mysteries, in the room with the Veil. 

The witches and wizards in the room were all frozen with the exception of Sirius. His body was falling backwards into the ragged veil that hung from the stone arch. Harry watched, tears falling down his cheeks, as the scene played out in front of him again. The look of fear and surprise on Sirius' face as he disappeared behind the veil. The innocent way it moved as it fell back into place, as if nothing had happened there. As though Sirius had not just disappeared behind it. The tears fell more rapidly as he heard the victorious screams of Bellatrix, Sirius' cousin. Harry's heart shattered as a glass would on impacting upon the floor. He couldn't move his feet … approach the stone dais where the arch stood. He was being held back by strong arms. He called out for Sirius, even though he knew he would not come …

**********

James' hazel eyes flew open.

His heart beat loudly in his ears as he adjusted to his sudden awakening. James wondered what had woken him up. '_There … what was that!_' he wondered. There was a mumbling coming from within the room. Leaping out of his bed, he walked into the middle of the room. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the quiet noises that had disturbed him. Concentrating for a few seconds, he realised that the noises were coming from the direction of Harry's bed. 

Slowly and quietly, using his years of practice creeping around the corridors of Hogwarts under his Invisibility cloak, he approached Harry's bed. James slowly approached the bed until he stood next to the sleeping boy. Harry was covered with sweat and his pale face was twisted into a look of hurt and fear. James leaned in closer and the mumbling became clearer. Curiosity got better of the teenager and he concentrated on listening to the sleeping boy's muttering, the desperation in Harry's tone cutting into James.

"Get him, save him … We can still reach him…"

James frowned. Obviously Harry was upset about something, but James did not know what. The muttering from the sleeping boy became more emphatic.

"He hasn't … He is **not dead**!"

James jumped at the sudden increase in volume and in doing so, he accidentally jerked Harry's arm. Harry let out an audible gasp and started to rise from the bed, which had been James' original intention.

James watched as Harry angrily wiped away the tears that were running down his thin pale face before turning to squint at him. James let an apologetic smile form on his face as he handed Harry's glasses over. "You were mumbling under your breath" he explained. "I came over to wake you up."

James watched as Harry blushed before his face paled again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up" he apologised. 

James could clearly see that the other boy was embarrassed. In a gentle tone, he whispered, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It was just a bad dream" Harry replied in a voice that trembled only very slightly, but enough so that James could pick up on his agitation. "I obviously forgot…"

"The silencing spells you put up each night" James finished. He suppressed his smile when he saw the surprised look on Harry's face. "What? You didn't think we'd notice?"

"W- well" Harry stuttered. "I assumed you'd probably notice eventually, but I'd hoped the dreams would have stopped by then," he said.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" Harry tried to evade.

"You were muttering about someone who died" James expounded.

"Oh. You heard?" Harry asked, a strange look in his green eyes. Almost fearful, though James could not understand what Harry had to fear from him.

"Not much. You were just talking about someone, a man I think. You were saying that 'he wasn't dead' out loud" James explained.

Harry sighed and James felt the tension emanating from the thin teenager. "It was … someone close to me. He died a few months ago, just before the summer in fact…" he began to say before trailing off into silence.

James could tell that Harry was not ready to talk about it quite yet. Squeezing Harry's shoulder as a sign of support, he said, "That's fine. You're obviously not ready to talk about it yet, but when you are … you're more than welcome to come and talk to me Harry."

As James returned to his bed, his heart went out the green-eyed teenager. '_Sure. Harry has a lot of secrets, but it seems like he's had a hard life. I doubt he's making it up either. Those eyes … you can see the pain in them so clearly. I know I shouldn't trust him so easily or quickly, and then there's that thing with Lily Evans as well, but I can't help it. What is it about him?_' he wondered before eventually falling asleep.

**********

Thursday

Double Potions

With Snape.

It was a familiar routine for Harry except that this time, rather than Snape being the overbearing, sneering Potions Master who loved nothing better than to torture him. He was the greasy-haired Sixth Year student, who enjoyed tormenting him.

He hated Potions.

It had not helped that Harry had not been able to go back to sleep after his little conversation with James the previous night. The images from his dreams seemed to be imprinted on the insides of his eyelids. Coupled with the worry and confusion regarding Sirius and the way he had died and Remus, the lone true Marauder, who was 20 years in the future and quite possibly worrying about him. Well, it was safe to assume that Harry was not having a good day, nor was he in a good mood.

His concentration was non-existent and during the Potions lesson, Harry had managed to boil his potion for too long. Instead of being of a water-like consistency, Harry's attempt had looked more like purple porridge. He had been frowning at his cauldron and the potion within when he noticed that someone was standing just behind him. He turned around, only to come face to face with Snape.

"Another pathetic Gryffindor it seems" Snape had sneered. "I suppose you're a prime candidate to join Potter and his little band of sycophants.'

"Shut up Snape!" Harry had snapped back.

Instead, the Slytherin's black eyebrow rose as he got a better look at Harry's potion. "It seems your idiotic Gryffindor moronity extends to brewing simple potions. After all, anyone can brew a simple Gibberish Potion. Oh, except for you it seems" he said with a smirk.

The lack of sleep and worries that preyed on Harry's mind, along with Snape's taunting finally broke Harry's tenuous hold on his temper. "Piss off Snape. I don't need you or your asinine remarks" he growled before magically cleaning his spoilt potion and cauldron with a wave of his wand. "_Evanesco._"

"Really, such language!" Snape replied in an undertone so that only Harry would be able to hear him. "Then again, I don't expect much better from a Mudblood."

Harry, who had already grabbed his bag turned around at the insult, his anger prepared to spring like a coiled snake. He took a step towards Snape, not noticing that the two of them had attracted the attention of James, Sirius, and Remus. "I'm giving you a warning this time Snape, but you may not be so lucky next time. I don't like you or anything about you. Insult me again and I'll make sure you regret it. I am not someone you can tread all over anymore. You are no better than me!" he snarled before storming out of the classroom. The red haze in his mind clouded all other thoughts, but Harry was faintly aware that James had started to shout at Snape as he strode away from the dungeons. 

**********

It was a concerned and slightly annoyed Sirius who entered the Great Hall for lunch, followed closely by James and Remus. Scanning the table, he spotted Peter sitting by several empty seats and he marched over, sitting down at the table with a thump. He sat in silence, occasionally glaring over at the Slytherin table, listening as James and Remus told Peter about the, yet again, eventful Potions lesson. Sirius gave a mental groan. '_What was it with Snape, Potions and personal problems?_' he wondered. 

"-I'm worried about him. He didn't get much sleep last night" explained James.

"What! Why not?" Sirius interrupted. The frown on his face mirrored on Remus' face as well.

"I was just about to get to that!" James chastised. "He had a nightmare last night and I didn't hear him go back to sleep afterwards. I wouldn't have noticed, except that he forgot to cast those silencing spells he puts up every night."

Peter voiced his opinion. "He could just be missing home? It can't be anything serious, can it?" he asked.

"No Wormtail" replied James. "He doesn't seem to be missing a place. It's more like a person."

"Who?" Sirius asked, his curiosity gaining the better of him.

"I don't know. A guy, possibly a wizard?" ventured James. "Harry wouldn't say, just that it's someone he knew, but I get the feeling he was close to whoever it was who died. All I know is that it happened right before this summer just gone."

"But that was months ago" said Peter with a small amount of scorn. "Surely he should be over it, at least not having screaming nightmares about it!"

"Remember" Remus interjected. "Harry also said he lost his parents when he was very young. I would guess that he takes the deaths of anyone close to him quite hard."

"Then there was that conversation he had with Evans" Sirius mentioned as he recalled eavesdropping on Harry and Lily a few days before.

"Yes! He said that … that his adoptive family, they weren't keen on the fact that he's a wizard" James said.

"So … what does that mean?" asked Peter nervously, looking from James to Sirius and back again.

"I'm not sure. I don't know how Snape fits in all this either" James sighed in resignation.

"Apart from being a nosy, greasy-haired prat?" Sirius snarled.

"You know," Remus said thoughtfully. "I think that Snape was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or if he wasn't, he was the catalyst to set Harry off."

"How so?" asked James.

"I don't know if you noticed, but Harry was like a kettle that's just about to boil all morning" he explained. "He was literally simmering, you could feel the tension surrounding him. I guess Snape must have said something … it could have been absolutely nothing, but it most likely caused the pan to boil over, and well, you saw the result."

"It's a pity we lost those points though" Sirius complained as he finished his lunch.

"This is just a guess, but I think that Phalin catching you threatening to beat Snape up something bloody may have had something to do with it" was the sarcastic reply from the werewolf.

Sirius grinned apologetically at his friend. "Oh yeah, forgot about that. It was just a little thing after all! Anyway, I've got the afternoon free so I'll grab the Map and find Harry. Hopefully he'll be a bit calmer and I can get him to help me plan revenge on Snape!"

"Great!" replied James.

"Get him to grab a late lunch if you can, he still need to eat more and if he carries on skipping meals…" Remus trailed off.

"Will do Moony! James, the Map's in your trunk right?" asked Sirius as he rose from the table.

"Yeah, it is"

"Well I guess I'll see you guys later," Sirius said before walking out of the Great Hall, intent on finding the complicated yet intriguing green-eyed teenager that had entered their lives.

**********

Harry stalked into the boys' Sixth Year dorm and threw his bag down on his bed. Mentally, Harry was berating himself for losing his temper at the Slytherin, especially considering that he had put up with far worse insults in the past. He knew it was a direct result of the dreams he had experienced the night before and his subsequent inability to fall back asleep after James had woke him up. Nor had be taken the opportunity to practice his meditations the past few days. Feeling slightly constricted, Harry threw off his school robe and tie as well as unbuttoning the top three buttons of his school shirt, thus allowing him a small amount of freedom in his movements.

Harry decided to take the opportunity to meditate and hoped he would be able to gain a better amount of control over his temper as a result. He arranged himself so that he sat cross-legged on his bed. Harry closed his eyes and allowed his breathing to slow down and began with his Occlumency training by beginning to systematically clear his thoughts. In his minds' eye, Harry imagined a large room full of books and parchment. At one side of the room, there was a large open window. Starting by that window, Harry started to pick up books and loose parchments and throw them out of the window. Slowly he made his way across the room until the room was empty.

Knowing that his mind was now clear, Harry envisioned the barrier that enclosed his thoughts and emotions. Looking at it with a critical eye, Harry noticed that it was not as thick as it had been when he last 'seen' it. Slowly and methodically, in much the same way he had cleared his mind, Harry strengthened the barrier until it felt solid to the touch. Satisfied with his progress, Harry let the visual representation of the barrier fade back into his mind, secure in the knowledge that he would be safe from any Legilimency attacks or visions for the time being. 

Instead, Harry assumed the same position he was sat in the real world, in his mind. Slowly, like an artist sketching on a blank board, images began to form in the void in front of him in luminescent shades of white. Harry was now in what he deemed to be a deeper state of meditation, though he had not read about anything like this happening to a witch or wizard before. He had intended on asking Hermione when they returned to Hogwarts but obviously, that was no longer an option. Nor did he have any idea where to look for the information. As far as Harry could tell, in this state, he was able to 'see', or perhaps a better description would be to _sense_, magic. It had been a little talent that he had developed over the summer, during his meditations to help him practice his Occlumency.

Although Harry was unable to see the magic within himself, he could see it surrounding the many other magical objects in the room. To make things easier for himself, Harry had decided to rate the brightness of the magic on a small scale of 1 - 10, however the scale was completely arbitrary and Harry suspected that he was over-simplifying matters. Even so, it had become an interesting game for him over the past months or two. 

For example, the dragon tooth pendant, which had been a present from Charlie Weasley, tickled his senses as it hung at the base of his neck. As it lay upon his body, Harry was able to sense the magic on the tooth. It shone with a brightness of about 7 on Harry's scale. It was the reason why Harry suspected that the pendant was not as plain and simple as it seemed to be upon first impressions. Of course, logic dictated that Charlie must have used some sort of magic to bind the small emerald and sapphire stones to the dragon's tooth, but the intensity of the magic it exuded indicated that many other charms and spells had also been cast on the pendant. 

At this time, Harry was unable to differentiate between the different spells, nor did he know if he would ever be able to, but he knew that at some point in the future, he would have to visit the Library to do some research on the matter. Harry suspected that he would eventually find out what spells had been cast on his pendant and it was those same instincts that prevented him from allowing others to touch the pendant. 

Another extremely strong magical signature from the end of his bed caught Harry's attention. It emanated from a thin cylindrical shape and Harry had assigned it a 10 on his scale. The object was his very own wand, holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple. His wand actually contained a phoenix feather from Fawkes, and its brother wand belonged to Voldemort, previously known as Tom Riddle. Harry had not been surprised when he had first viewed his wand in this manner; in fact, his instincts had caused him to seek it out.

Casting his senses beyond the boundaries of his bed, Harry could sense small amounts of magical energy emanating from the trunks and other magical items in the room. The dorm faded into the background, but Harry was still able to sense the magic that was imbued in the walls of Hogwarts. The only thing that Harry could liken it to, so that others could understand, was the muggle film, the Matrix, which Harry had seen while at the Dursleys that summer. 

The only way Harry could describe how he could sense the magic that surrounded him was that normal objects, such as the walls, tables, and even the trunks, carried the magic within them. It was fused into the materials so Harry could sense the dimensions of the object or building. In comparison, other things such as his pendant, his wand, and even people, Harry discovered that the magic seemed to emanate from within them. This was the case with most of the objects that Harry would classify as being a 5 or above on the scale. Even with all this, Harry was still not fully able to explain how it worked, how he was able to sense the magic. To him, it just was.

Someone had entered the room. 

Harry allowed his senses to examine the newcomer. He could sense the magic that surrounded the wizard, for it looked to be a young man who had entered the room. The magic shone with a fierce intensity around him, coming from within, yet it was not so bright that it could conceal that emanating from his wand that was carried within the wizard's clothing. Harry could tell that the wizard was powerful, yet there was something that itched at his senses. All was not quite normal with this wizard. As he concentrated his senses on the unusual aspect that emanated from the wizard, Harry did not notice that he, in turn, was also being scrutinised.

Sirius had just entered the dorm, intent on grabbing the Marauders' Map and finding Harry. He did not expect to see Harry, sitting on his bed with his eyes closed, looking as though he was asleep. His unruly midnight black hair that was so similar to James' seemed to highlight the paleness of his skin. There was a wild look about him, from his hair to the way he had discarded his clothing. 

'_No, that's not right_' Sirius amended. '_Harry looks calm … relaxed. Yet there's a tinge of…_' Sirius frowned. He could not be certain, especially since he had never encountered it in practice, but it seemed as if there was _wild magic_ in the air. It had a bittersweet taste about it, but it remained just out of Sirius' reach, as if it were teasing him. 

Sirius' curiosity and astonishment grew … it had to be coming from Harry. He had never encountered it before and so knew it was not coming from him, therefore the obvious choice was Harry. Harry, who was an intriguing mix of opposites. His body was too thin and looked to be frail, yet he possessed an inner strength that impressed even Remus. His eyes could reflect his joy and pain, emotions and thoughts, and yet they could become cold and hollow, as if he could see no future for himself. He held the air of innocence, yet his demeanour at times suggested that he had seen many things. Things that Sirius could tell that he could not even begin to fathom. Sirius had at times thought he could see bits of James, Remus, and even himself in Harry's behaviour, or in the way he held himself. It seemed so … familiar.

Sirius shook his head. What was he thinking? It must have been the wild magic getting to him. '_I've only known him for about ten days_' he told himself. '_There is no way that I could know Harry well enough to recognise things like that in so short a time. Yes, something about Harry has me intrigued, but it's only because he's such an enigma. There is no need to speculate until you know more about him, and at the moment, you have to get him to eat and talk about what happened to upset him so_'

Harry had finally decided that the person who had entered the room was Sirius. It was too tall for it to be Remus and well Pettigrew … Harry was almost certain that the magic within the rat could not compare to the other three Marauders. Although it could have been James, he had an Ancient Runes class this afternoon along with Remus. Therefore, the most obvious choice was Sirius. 

With that in mind, Harry had used what little he knew to _probe_ Sirius' magical essence. He was not sure, but it seemed as if the magical energy within Sirius was trying to capture something because it moved about him, as a fire licking a new stick of firewood. Harry had assumed that the unusual aspect that Harry could sense was in fact Sirius' Animagus ability. He could not certain, but it seemed to be a reasonable assumption to make under the circumstances.

"'Lo Sirius" he greeted, his voice sounding as if it were coming from a long distance away. This was the first time that Harry had ever spoken while in this state and it was an unusual experience. Slowly he began to leave his previous level of meditation, the magical essence fading as Harry allowed his human senses to return to the fore. His hearing returned along with her sense of touch and his breathing became slightly shallower. 

Harry felt, rather than saw, Sirius' surprise. "I'm sorry, did I disturb you?" he apologised.

Harry still had his eyes closed as he replied. "No. I was able to tell when you walked into the room."

"What were you doing just now?" Sirius asked, wondering if Harry could explain what he had felt, or thought he had felt.

"I was just meditating. I guess you noticed I lost my temper with Snape so I came back here to try and sort myself out" Harry explained, finally opening his eyes to gaze steadily at Sirius.

Sirius quirked a grin at the sitting teenager before moving to lean against the bedpost at the foot of his bed. "Well I can't blame you for losing your rag at that greasy slimeball and I don't think you need to make excuses for him" he said. "However, you did miss lunch … _again_!"

Harry blushed and lowered his eyes to his lap. "I know," he said. "It was just that I was _so angry_ when I left the dungeons that food just didn't seem to matter."

"Yes well" Sirius replied. "If you skip any more meals, I might start force-feeding you or something like that. You're too thin! Come on" he said, grabbing Harry's hand and tugging it lightly. "I'll take you to meet the House-elves and we can get you something substantial to eat!"

Harry laughed as he allowed himself to be pulled off the bed. Realising how cold it had become while he had been meditating, Harry considered wearing his cloak to go down to the kitchens before deciding against it. '_It would be too confining around my throat_' he thought. Flashing a quick apologetic smile at Sirius, he quickly opened the second compartment of his trunk and fished out the black dragonskin coat he had received from the Weasley Twins. Though it was slightly too big for him, it was perfect in keeping him warm without restricting him in any way.

"Ready!" he announced, turning to face Sirius. Seeing the expression on Sirius' face, he smirked. "You in there Sirius?"

"Merlin! Where did you get that coat!" he exclaimed, eyes roving over the coat. If he were Padfoot, Harry was sure he would have been drooling. 

"The coat?" Harry asked casually. "It was a birthday present, but I think I need to grow into it a bit more. Still, it keeps me warm" he said.

Sirius' blue eyes sparkled. "Can I borrow that sometime?" he asked in a awed voice. "I saw some leather coats in Diagon Alley, but nothing like this! It's a completely different style and … _wow!_ Please?" he begged.

Harry laughed at Sirius' behaviour and knew that he could not refuse him. "Fine" he huffed, but the grin betraying his good humour. "But I want it back in the same condition, okay? Not now though, I need it since it's a bit chilly."

"Ah yes. The kitchen awaits, good sir" Sirius teased, gesturing for Harry to lead the way out of the dorm.

**********

Notes:

Well that didn't take too long to write. I'm posting this today and will try my hardest to write the next chapter and post it before I move house. Unfortunately, the new place doesn't have broadband yet, so I'll have to get it installed, and it may take a while before I'm able to post.

Wow! I got 100 reviews! *blushes* I'm so shocked that so many of you like this fanfic. Please keep on reviewing. I'm certain the speed at which I write is directly proportional to the amount of reviews I receive! So more reviews equals more writing! Another 20-25 reviews for this chapter would totally blow me over if you can manage it!

Many thanks to **Vicious Lily, Siri Padfoot, snifflesaboutsnuffles, Alynna Lis Eachann, moonlight-madness, Firesword, Witchy-Althea, ping*pong5, elrohir lover, Piper of Locksley, Elfy19, Necromant, gaul1, Patricia Black, HarryGryffinGirl, Jenn Lynne, BEE **and **LadyLilyPotter** for reviewing the last chapter!

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Vicious Lily - I don't mean to intentionally mislead you, honest guv! I'm liking Lily more and more, but I still prefer my Tonks at the moment. Lily will be featuring more in later chapters.

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snifflesaboutsnuffles - Congratulations, yes it is.

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Alynna Lis Eachann - Good guess. Congratulations.

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Firesword - I can't really say since it will spoil further events.

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ping*pong5 - Yes. Congratulations! With regards to the Healing class, you'll be finding out bits and bobs as the year progresses.

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Elfy19 - Andromada Tonks is too old to be a student at Hogwarts in 1976, however, she will be turning up later on in the year. Good guess on the pairing!

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Necromant - Thanks *blushes* Your last guess (not the kiss) was a lot warmer!

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Patricia Black - Before I started writing this story, I was in the stages of planning a three part story and as a part of it, I had to work out family trees and ages of all the main characters. According to my notes and information from the books and the HPverse, it seems clear to me that Bellatrix is the oldest of the three Black sisters and Narcissa the youngest. Besides, Sirius mentioned in OotP that he had not seen Bellatrix since he was about 15. I do, however, promise that Bellatrix will appear later in the story. There are several other HP canon characters though, which I hope will appease you in the meantime. 

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Jenn Lynne - The mysterious egg has not been forgotten. It's still there but it won't appear for several more chapters yet.

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BEE - Wait and see!

I apologise in advance for any mistakes, spelling, grammatical or otherwise. It is all my fault since this is unbeta'd. Please review and send any helpful comments, all will be appreciated. Any flames, however, will be, in all honesty, disregarded. Thank you for reading!

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SStar


	8. Pranks and Truths

Comments: e-mail at sstar_luna@yahoo.co.uk or Review button below.

Rating: PG-13 for now, although that may change later. Will be **slash **later in the story. HP/?, JP/LP

Spoilers: Books 1-5. Do not read unless you have FINISHED _The Order of the Phoenix_.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot. All Harry Potter™ characters and settings are the sole intellectual property of JK Rowling, Warner Bros. and various others who all aren't connected to me in any way. No money is being made with this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

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Chapter 7: Pranks and Truths

"Peter? You've got all afternoon free, right?" James asked as he moved towards the end of his bed.

"Y-Yes" was the stuttered reply.

"Great then" James declared in a satisfied tone. "Make sure you're outside the Flitwick's classroom at four then. The rest of us have Charms so it makes more sense if you met us there."

"So are we hiding the dungbombs in Binn's classroom or in the Entrance Hall just before dinner?" Peter asked, looking towards James.

"I think in the History of Magic classroom," James said after a moments thought. "The smell should stop anyone falling asleep from boredom!"

"Merlin! I'm glad that I had History of Magic yesterday afternoon!" exclaimed Peter with a small giggle.

"Whatever" Sirius muttered. "You'll have to plant the dungbombs though, so you better make sure you don't accidentally set them off Peter."

"What! Why?" Peter asked with great alarm. He wrung his hands together and bit his lip before asking, "Surely you'd be better at that. I mean, you're less likely to be seen, unlike me. I'm sure I'd be caught and get detention."

Sirius waved at Peter in a dismissive manner. "It has to be you," he said. "The rest of us don't do History and it'll be really suspicious if we're caught in there. You on the other hand, can make up some sort of excuse if you're caught. I don't know, pretend that you want Binn's to explain one of the Goblin wars or something like that."

"Make it sound really boring and I bet whoever is asking will leave you well alone and if Binns catches you … well, just remember it's for the Marauders!" added James from where he was arms deep in his trunk.

Peter flushed with embarrassment and ducked his head. "Sure" he muttered, but he was not heard since at that moment, Sirius noticed that Harry had woken up.

"Harry!" he shouted in greeting, a large grin forming on his handsome face.

Harry rubbed his eyes, put his glasses on and blinked before smiling at Sirius. "Hello," he replied. "What are you lot upto?" he asked casually as he sat down next to Sirius. "Where's Remus?"

"Us? Upto something?" Sirius asked, raising his eyebrow in question. He quirked his lips into a smirk. "How well you know us, and it's only been two weeks! James, I think we may be becoming predictable!""

"Us, predictable? Never" James replied as he triumphantly held up a glass vial filled with a yellow potion.

"What's that?" Harry asked.

"This? Just a little surprise for the Ravenclaws," James said as he walked back to the other three boys. "If you ingest it, you won't be able to answer a direct question for the next 8 hours or so."

"Can you imagine the looks on the Professors' faces when they start talking utter nonsense" Peter asked Harry, straightening his back 

"I'm sure they'll be properly confused" Harry replied, not wanting to be drawn into a conversation with Pettigrew. "What's all this in favour of?" he asked.

James peered over the top of his glasses and raised an eyebrow at the bemused teenager. "You don't know what today is?" he questioned.

"Why would I be asking otherwise?"

James' hazel eyes brightened with mischief and with a evil grin he said, "Harry, today is September, Friday the 13th!"

"Bad luck" Harry stated with realisation.

Peter bounced in his seat and replied to Harry's unasked question. "Yes. We'll be the ones who'll be handing out the bad luck this year."

"You managed to turn it into a lifetime's work" Harry muttered under his breath.

"Pardon?" Sirius asked, frowning at Harry. "I didn't quite catch that."

Harry blushed. "I was just wondering what you've done to poor Remus. Usually he's up well before you are Sirius."

Sirius' blue eyes narrowed slightly before he replied. "Remus? He's still a bit tired from a few days ago so we're letting him sleep in. It'll do him some good."

"I'll wake him up in a moment then" Harry said. "After all, I'm sure he won't want to miss out on whatever you're planning for today."

**********

Harry and the Marauders were sitting at the Gryffindor table, eating their breakfast. Harry sensed that someone was watching them and searched the Great Hall for that person. His eyes fell onto the Slytherin table and he scanned it before finally stopping on Severus Snape. 

Snape was glaring at the Marauders, yet Harry thought he could see a small amount of worry in those black eyes. Harry shifted uncomfortably before returning his attention to the conversation around him.

"James? You've added the potion to the Ravenclaws' food?" Remus asked.

"Lunchtime. All sorted out"

"Gryffindors?"

"Hair colouring potion. Red and gold"

"And the Hufflepuffs?"

"Ah, now we changed the plan there"

"Huh?"

"Awfully articulate this morning aren't you?"

Remus growled. "Give me some more damn tea!" he snapped back. "Changed the plan? Who made it and have you checked it to make sure you haven't slipped up somewhere?"

"That's your job" Peter stated.

Remus snorted derisively. "Yes"

"So why are you asking?"

"I was asleep"

"Oh"

"It's perfect. No-one will know it was us!" Sirius exclaimed.

"In what way is it perfect. You know McGonagall is going to suspect us straight away" Remus argued. "Not that it's likely to be anyone else is going to be daft enough to prank people on Friday the thirteenth."

"Well, lets put it this way … it's not our usual style" James said cryptically.

"What the _bloody _hell are you on about" Remus snapped.

Harry grimaced and quickly filled a cup with tea and handed it to the irate werewolf, who took it with a grateful smile. "Umm, actually Remus. I think it's kind of my fault for this one"

"How so?"

"It's fantastic. Whoever created this stuff sure beats Zonkos" Sirius exclaimed with a grin.

James laughed in agreement. "You should have seen the look on Peter's face."

Harry thought back to the expression on Peter's face when he had realised that he had been pranked. Harry did not feel the slightest bit guilty about what he had done. After all, it was just a harmless prank.

Remus shook his head at the two black-haired teens and sent a sympathetic look towards Peter. Remus turned to face Harry. "What is this great and wonderful thing?" he asked.

"Canary Creams"

"Excuse me?" Remus asked.

"Canary Creams" Harry repeated, his green eyes bright with mischief. "A couple of friends of mine invented them and I won't spoil it for you, but I think you'll be impressed with the result."

"Anyway, Harry showed it to us just before you came out of the shower so we haven't had time to plant them. We'll stick them in their lunch or dinner" James added.

"The Slytherins?" Harry asked nervously.

"Ah, now. That is the coup de resistance"

"Peter? What was that?" Sirius asked, quirking a dark defined eyebrow.

"I just thought it sounded good" he stuttered, whilst looking between Remus and Sirius with worried pale eyes.

"Right" Sirius drawled.

James, whose eyes had wondered towards the direction of Lily Evans, returned his attentions back to his friends. "Guys, be nice" he chastised. "What are you talking about?"

"Slytherins"

He stabbed at the scrambled eggs on his plate. "What about them?" James asked with a small amount of disgust. 

"The unfortunate bad luck is about to befall upon them"

"Ah, that"

Harry was ready to scream with frustration at the roundabout conversation that the Marauders were participating in. Suddenly, the series of pops filled the Great Hall. Harry jerked his head up and searched the room for the source of the noise. Harry's heart sank yet at the same time he was filled with a burning curiosity … the noise had come from the Slytherin table.

Several of the students had fallen victim to the Marauders' prank. One of the Fifth years looked particularly badly hit. The Slytherin table had fallen silent with the exception of the ones who had been pranked by the Marauders. The small commotion had been noticed by the Hufflepuffs, followed by the Gryffindors then the Ravenclaws. At the Professors' table, the Heads of both Gryffindor and Slytherin Houses had also noticed the Slytherin's plight. 

McGonagall glanced at the unfortunate Slytherins before making her way towards the Marauders. The silence of the room had been broken and the Great Hall was filled with laughter and the amused conversations of students from the other Houses. The Slytherins on the other hand, were quietly muttering amongst themselves, trying to remove the effects of the prank, while others still were glaring at the Marauders.

In all honesty, Harry felt that the prank on the Slytherins was rather tame and good-natured. It looked to be similar to what was planned for the Ravenclaws, but instead of babbling when attempting to talk, the afflicted students let out pink coloured bubbles. The side affect was that every time the afflicted student let out a pink bubble, they would also rise a few centimetres into the air.

Unfortunately for the Marauders, most of the Slytherins had stopped talking as soon as they got over the shock of producing bright pink bubbles and so they were only levitating a few inches above their seats. The unfortunate Fifth year however, had not realised this fact, and was currently floating about half a meter above the Slytherin table. Of course, as soon as she had realised this small fact, she had started to scream silently, releasing sausage shaped pink bubbles.

Harry and the rest of the students in the Great Hall could not help but laugh at the unfortunate girl. Steelfield had not noticed the Fifth year's plight since she was busy with another group of afflicted students. Someone else, however, did notice the plight of the distressed girl.

"Hold on Rose!" the blonde-haired teenager shouted, attracting the attention of the amused students.

Harry's groan was drowned out by the loud snorts from the four boys sitting next to him. 

"That idiot!" Sirius snorted. "What does he think he can do?"

James smirked at his best friend before glancing at the Slytherin. "Want to bet that he screws it up?" he asked. James turned to look at Harry with a suspiciously innocent expression. "Care to take the bet?"

Remus placed his hand on Harry's arm, causing him to jump in his seat. "I wouldn't take that bet," he said, sending a disapproving look towards James. "That there" he stated, gesturing towards the Slytherin who was still talking to the floating girl. "Is Gilderoy Lockhart. Let's just say that he's more bark than bite."

Harry had not needed this piece of advice since he had instantly recognised the teenager. The wavy blonde hair and bright blue eyes were accompanied by the familiar and annoying toothy smile. It was one that he had come to hate the sight of during his second year at Hogwarts. '_Mind you, I'm not in the slightest bit surprised that Lockhart was a Slytherin_' he thought to himself while shaking his head at James. '_I mean, he has to have had some amount of cunning to get away with all that stuff and dupe everyone into believing that he was a qualified Dark Arts Professor_'

Harry's attention was drawn to the fifteen year old Lockhart, who had his wand out and was pointing it at the floating, pink bubble emitting Rose. He wondered if the Slytherins … if Rose, realised how magically inept Lockhart truly was.

"I'm sure a weight charm will work wonders until the potion in your drink wears off" he shouted.

"At least the daft git realised it was a potion!" Remus muttered dryly, sharing a wry grin with James and Sirius.

"How long will the potions' effects last?" Harry asked.

Sirius glanced at him before returning to look at Rose. "About 15-20 minutes I should guess."

"You know what's strange though?" Peter mentioned.

Sirius rolled his eyes and asked, "What?"

"McGonagall should have given us detention by now," he said.

Harry looked around the large room for their Head of House. He finally spotted her making her way towards Lockhart and the still floating Rose.

"Looks like she's a bit busy trying to save what's-her-name from Lockhart," James commented.

"Scorpius" stated Sirius. "She's part of the Scorpius family"

Suddenly the amused atmosphere in the Great Hall was breached with the screams from Rose Scorpius. All heads turned towards the source of the commotion, where the floating Slytherin girl was rising even higher. Lockhart, who looked to be trying to reassure those near to him, had managed to restore her voice, but in the process of doing so, had also cast a levitation charm on the unfortunate girl.

Sirius smirked at Harry and his friends. "Oh dear"

Remus looked amused and muttered, "Looks like Lockhart has struck again! I wonder, is there _anything _he's good at?"

'_Unfortunately yes_' Harry mentally answered as he watched McGonagall rescue the floating fifth year Slytherin.

"Trying to make himself look all pretty?" James ventured.

"Brushing his teeth until they're so bright, he can blind you?" Sirius asked.

"Charming the ladies?" Peter hazarded.

"You know, I think I saw him trying to impress Evans the other day" Remus recalled. Faint frown lines formed on his forehead as he tried to remember, while James tapped out a tattoo on the table as he waited impatiently for the particulars. "I was in the library…"

Sirius interrupted with his bark-like laugh. "As usual"

"Some of us happen to need to do the background research. We can't all be naturally gifted like you two sods!" Remus replied with a small smile.

"No I suppose you can't," Sirius replied in a smug tone.

"Sirius!" Harry scolded. Sirius looked faintly abashed, but there was a twinkle in his sapphire eyes.

"Anyway, before I was rudely interrupted by the smug git there" Remus said. "Lily was in the Charms section and Lockhart was there too."

"Probably looking for a charm to do something completely ridiculous to his hair" James interrupted in a scathing tone, moving his eyes to glare at the oblivious Slytherin. "I swear, he takes better care of his hair than his wand!"

A large smirk formed on Sirius' face and he asked, "Jealous James?"

"Of bloody what? That ponce?"

"And that he can manage his hair better than you" Sirius clarified.

"No!" James exclaimed. He smacked Sirius on the arm before asking Remus to finish.

Remus went on to explain that Lockhart had been trying to persuade Lily to go out on a date with him. Peter and James listened attentively, while Harry felt slightly ill at the thought of having Lockhart for a father. '_Thank God my mother had some sense_' he thought, but he could not repress the shiver than ran down his spine. As Remus spoke, Sirius leant into his side and turned his head so that he could whisper directly into Harry's ear.

"Looks like James is in alpha mode" he said in a soft voice. "Lockhart had better watch out. James in jealous mode is incredibly fun to see. Pity he can't get Evans to go out with him though. Looks like he'll have to keep on pining after her."

Harry felt the blood rush into his cheeks as he listened to Sirius' soft, rich, velvet-like tone. He pushed aside the feeling of sadness as he realised that Azkaban had left its mark in the way that Sirius had spoken. Harry had never before heard Sirius talk to anyone in such a way before and he dearly wished to hear it more often.

**********

Harry, Sirius, and Lily were attending their second Healing lesson of the new school year. The class was quite small. In fact, they were the only three Gryffindors in the class that interestingly also included no Slytherin students. Harry privately mused that the high requirements for the class had meant that very few Sixth years were actually eligible for the course, but that had not explained the lack of Slytherins.

Harry leant to his left slightly. "Lily?" he whispered to the red headed witch. "Why do you think it is that there are no Slytherins in the class?"

Lily frowned as she checked the House badges of the students in the Hospital Wing. "I didn't realise" she replied. "I don't know Harry. Sorry"

Sirius, who had been sitting on Harry's other side, and had been eavesdropping on the conversation, piped up with the answer. "It's because the course is supposed to teach muggle methods of Healing as well as magical and those Snakes think it's beneath them to learn such ways!"

"Five points from Gryffindor" Pomfrey called out. "Now if you could pay attention to what I'm saying Mr Black. Now, when considering sleeping potions, you have to take into account the situation of your patient. The biggest problem with sleeping potions, such as the Dreamless Sleep Potion, is that if taken over prolonged periods, it can lead to blood and tissue poisoning, so you have to be careful when handing it out," she lectured. "Now, you've all made the potion, so can someone tell me what ingredients in the Dreamless Sleep potion are dangerous in large amounts or over prolonged exposure? Miss Golding?"

Harry put down his quill and sent an apologetic look towards Sirius. Out of the corner of his mouth, he hissed, "Sorry Sirius. I didn't mean to get you into detention or anything."

"Don't worry about it" replied Sirius, gracing Harry with a gentle smile.

**********

Lunch had been interesting to say the least. Harry was now sporting red and gold highlights in his normally unruly black hair along with various other members of Gryffindor House. Harry was caught between amusement and being appalled at the antics of the Marauders. It seemed that the latest prank had reminded Professor McGonagall about the incident at breakfast. James and Sirius now had two detentions to their name. Harry noted with a small amount of disgust that Pettigrew had somehow managed to evade any sort of punishment

Harry had sat between Lily and Remus during the Charms lesson that afternoon, leaving Sirius and James to sit in the seats behind. It was obvious that the two dark-haired teenagers had other things on their minds. Harry also had the opportunity to witness the effect of the babbling potion on the Ravenclaw students in the class. It had only been about 20 minutes into the lesson before Flitwick had asked a Ravenclaw a question about the language charms they were currently studying. 

The unfortunate girl had tried to answer but all that came out was a meaningless assortment of words. The other students in the class sniggered at the Ravenclaw. Several questions were posed to the afflicted student that caused the other doped students to babble in return. The next few minutes were filled with confusion and amusement. Eventually Flitwick sent all the affected students to the Hospital Wing, much to the amusement of James, Sirius and several of the Slytherin students who were also in the class.

Harry had wondered how long the potion would last, but Remus told him that there was an antidote to counter the effects. Harry suppressed a grin at the thought of the majority of Ravenclaw House bearing down on Pomfrey for the antidote. Instead, he returned his attention to the lesson at hand, in which he was attempting to learn the spells required to speak and understand German.

Eventually Harry's last lesson of the week ended and the weekend lay in front of him. His only obligation, apart from the small mountain of homework, was the Gryffindor Quidditch practice that was scheduled for Saturday afternoon. As Harry walked out of the classroom with Lily and Remus, he glanced over his shoulder. Slightly behind the sallow faced Snape, Harry saw James and Sirius walking slowly, heads bent over a small box of some sort, uncontrolled black hair blending with silky ebony locks. 

"Hey Remus!" greeted the only member of the Marauders who did not have Charms. Pettigrew had been standing by the door of the Charms classroom. "Has James already left?" he asked in a worried tone.

Remus smiled at the shorter boy. "No I don't think so. He and Sirius should be just behind us"

"Okay then" Pettigrew answered, the relief showing in his face. "I guess we'll meet up with you in a minute then"

Remus raised an eyebrow in enquiry before shaking his head. He smiled at Peter before gesturing towards Lily and Harry to start walking again.

"I was wondering" Harry started to say. "Do all foreign wizards know how to speak English?" he asked, his mind going back to the Triwizard competition in his Fourth year. "Or do they make use of language spells?"

"I don't know" Lily replied thoughtfully. "Personally, I know a small amount of French and a enough German and Italian to get by with, but that's from family holidays and primary school. I suppose I could get by, but I would rely on the charms a fair bit I would imagine"

"You'll find that most high ranking or important wizards, especially those who deal with us are more than likely to know English" Remus offered. "The British are one of the most prominent magical communities. I think only a few others, such as the Egyptians, have a older magical history"

"Does that mean British wizards are more likely to expect foreign wizards to speak English then?" asked Harry, the whole concept having piqued his curiosity.

Remus snorted. "More than likely I would say"

"But what about spells? How does that work with other languages?" Harry asked.

"It doesn't matter. All spells are based on Latin. Root words and derivatives. Most western languages are also based on Latin so it doesn't matter" Lily answered.

"Not all the spells are based on Latin. The _Point Me _spell is well, in English" Harry argued.

"You've got a point there" Remus replied.

"I think I need to look it up in the Library" Lily said. "This is just based on conjecture but the _Point Me _spell is a somewhat new spell. I guess that this kind of spell could be adapted to different languages, so you could say the spell in a different language and it would do the same thing as if you had said it in English"

An unexpected voice spoke up from behind the three Gryffindors. The sneering tone immediately identified the person as being Snape. "It was such a pity that only the Ravenclaws were babbling mindlessly, courtesy of Potter and Black I'm sure" he spat out. "It's a pity that it wasn't given to all the Mudbloods," he said, eyeing Harry and Lily with great dislike. "Considering that Mudbloods haven't got anything to say that is worth listening to, or even worth saying in fact. It wouldn't be as if anyone would notice anything was missing"

Harry who, along with Remus and Lily, had turned around as Snape started to talk, felt the blood drain from his face. He could not understand the hate that Snape obviously had against Muggleborn students. Not now with Snape, nor back in his own time with Malfoy. He knew that Voldemort had a great deal to do with it, but the whole point of the prejudices and debates eluded him.

Harry was not sure what he would do, nevertheless he went to take a step forward. However, he was stopped by Remus' hand on his right arm. From the corner of his mouth, the amber-eyed teenager hissed "Don't. You'll only get into trouble. Lily's more than capable of looking after herself. It's something to do with that red hair!"

However, before Lily could retort to Snape's derogatory remarks or Harry could reply to the advice, James closely followed by Sirius and Pettigrew, spoke up. "Haven't you learnt your lesson from the last time _Snivellus_?"

"Perhaps he needs a small reminder" Sirius suggested, his blue eyes narrowing into tiny slits as he surveyed the scene. Beside him, much to Harry's disgust, Pettigrew looked between James and Snape with a gleam in his normally watery eyes. A small smirk played at the corner of his mouth, as though he was about to witness something amusing.

An unpleasant feeling started to form in Harry's stomach. From the air of anticipation that surrounded Pettigrew to the obvious tension that flowed between his father and Snape. The scene was far too familiar and it sickened Harry that these people, with the obvious exception of Snape and Wormtail, who he had admired for so long, would be party to what was about to happen. 

Remus was looking between Snape and his friends and Harry could see that the younger version of his friend was torn. He obviously did not agree with what James and Sirius were proposing, but he worried that by disagreeing, he would lose their friendship. Harry knew from his conversations with the older Remus that the werewolf had been in awe that James and Sirius had accepted him with no hesitation upon discovering his condition. 

Harry turned his attention to Lily, whose green eyes were flashing with disappointment and a small amount of anger. "Potter, Black, Snape. Stop this insanity or I'll get a Professor. There's no point in arguing about this since I don't have the energy to give a damn about what he said and frankly, I don't care!" she snapped, her prefect's badge gleaming.

The others continued to glare at each other, obviously not heeding Lily's words. The uneasy feeling in Harry's stomach grew as James started to speak. "Apologise _Snivellus_" he threatened. "Or I'll hex you!"

"Bring it on" Snape challenged, watching with wary eyes as Black growled. "You won't find it quite so easy this time" he sneered.

"Or what! You going to curse me with a dark arts spell that Daddy taught you?" Sirius taunted.

Harry watched in horror as Snape's usually sallow face turned red. He could only imagine what was going through the Slytherin's mind. Harry was caught between his usual animosity towards Snape and his disgust at Snape's behaviour towards Lily and sympathy regarding what had happened to the Slytherin last summer and his obviously unhappy childhood. Another part of him was also embarrassed as he witnessed James' and Sirius' bullying.

"At least I have some dignity for my status. I don't sully myself by _consorting _with Mudbloods and blood-traitors!" Snape retorted in a silky tone.

"You greasy bastard!" James shouted, whipping his wand back in preparation to attack.

From the corner of his eye, Harry saw that Snape had also adopted a duelling stance. He knew he had to stop this somehow. With no plan in his mind, Harry took several steps forwards until he was standing in the line of fire. "_Stop it_" he shouted, startling the Marauders and Lily with his actions. 

Snape on the other hand, was glaring at Harry. It reminded him of the looks he would often receive during his lessons with the Potions Master. Harry was well used to such glares and so ignored it. '_Then again, this glare doesn't feel as though it would strip the flesh of my body yet. He must have worked on it over the next twenty years or so I guess_' Harry mused.

"Stop it!" he shouted, his hands outstretched, as though he could stop any spells with them. "You're all being ridiculous and idiotic! A Professor could come by any moment now and you'll all get into trouble. Lily doesn't care so just forget about it!"

Before James, Sirius or Snape could respond to Harry's demands, Flitwick approached them. He looked up at the taller students and asked in his usual squeaky voice. "Boys, everything's alright here?"

Snape threw another glare at Harry and the three Marauders who were standing behind him, before stalking away in the direction of the dungeons. James and Sirius looked at each other and then at Harry before replying. "Everything's fine Professor. Just having a lively discussion" assured James.

"Very good boys" Flitwick replied before continuing down the corridor. "I suggest you return to your common room though. No point wandering in the corridors"

James and Sirius waited until Flitwick disappeared from view before herding the others into an empty classroom. 

"What in the name of Merlin did you think you were doing out there! That was _Snivellus_ you were protecting!" Sirius exclaimed.

Harry looked at the others who were standing in the unused classroom. Lily was looking at him with a small smile of approval, while a combination of wariness and admiration was evident in Remus' amber eyes. Pettigrew looked to be disgruntled, as though a favourite toy had been taken from him. James and Sirius, however, were obviously confused at what had happened and their annoyance was directed at Harry.

"This is the same greasy git who has been harassing you these past week or two. Why did you stop us? He was insulting you and Lily!" James continued.

Harry shrugged. He felt slightly uncomfortable under the scrutiny of his parents, godfather, and close friend. The realisation that he barely knew James and Lily was, again, brought home to him. "Lily said she wasn't bothered by what Snape said and well, for me … it doesn't really matter since I'm not a Muggleborn anyway. What's the point?"

"Wh-what's the point!" Peter stuttered, finally entering the conversation. "It's Snape! This was his payback. Besides, he's a greasy git and he knows loads of dark arts!"

Harry frowned. "So what! You can't curse him just because he's a greasy git!"

"You wouldn't curse him if you had the opportunity?" Sirius asked incredulously.

Harry shook his head. "I would love to hex him to hell and back, but not without reason. Doing so just because you don't like someone is wrong. If he challenged you to a duel, then yes, that's fine. Do you like humiliating people?" he retorted.

"Why does it matter. It-it's only Snape!" Pettigrew continued to insist, stuttering over his words. "He's probably only going to become a D-De-Death E-Eater, that is if he's not already one"

Harry glared at the shorter boy before sweeping his eyes over James, Sirius, and Remus. "If you carry on like this, hexing people for no other reason than because it amuses you, like last summer after your written Defence exam, then you'll be no better than the Death Eaters themselves" Harry stated in a sad tone.

James and Sirius looked outraged at Harry's comment while Pettigrew stood, silently shaking, at their side. Harry turned his head slightly to see shocked expressions on the faces of Lily and Remus.

Sirius managed to break out of the collective stupor first. "What the bloody hell!" he shouted. "What right do _you _have to say that we're anything like those … those homicidal pure-blooded bastards!"

Harry winced as he remembered how sensitive Sirius was regarding his family and their pure-blooded values. Still, he knew he had a valid point and he opened his mouth, ready to tell the Marauders why.

"Death Eaters, when they're not out killing muggles and wizards, love nothing better than to torture and humiliate their victims … anyone they consider to be below them. Pranks are fun, I don't disagree with that, but what you were proposing … it's no better than what or whom you claim to despise. It doesn't matter if the victim is a future Death Eater or a muggle. If you think you're right and carry on as you are, then you're not the friends I thought you are" 

With that, Harry left the five Gryffindors to ponder on his words. Lily sent a disgusted look at James, Sirius, and Peter before following Harry. Remus looked sadly at his friends. He opened his mouth, as though to say something but no words came out of his mouth. He shook his head once before following his fellow Gryffindors out of the door, leaving his three friends to gape stupidly after him.

**********

A short while later, Sirius, James and a slightly irritated Peter walked into the sixth year dorms, intending to apologise to Harry, but instead they found a frantic looking Remus. 

"What wrong?" Sirius asked. 

"What's wrong!" Remus exclaimed. "After your little display and confrontation with Harry, he must have ran back here. I entered the room just as he _jumped_ out of the window…"

"Hold on Moony!" James shouted as Sirius paled. "Did you just say he **jumped **out of the window? _From this height_? What the hell was he thinking? Hell, was he even _thinking _at all?"

"It all happened incredibly fast, I didn't even have time to draw my wand" Remus continued, ignoring James' rant. "I ran to the window and saw him free-falling before he pulled his broom up and flew off towards the Quidditch pitch. I swear, I'm going to wring his neck for scaring me like that!" Remus said in agitation.

A slightly pale Sirius nodded his head in agreement while James pondered over Harry's flying skills. They were brought back by Remus' mutterings.

"I hope you all thought about what Harry said. He had a very good point about your behaviour, especially regarding Snape" he said.

"You know something?" Peter asked, wringing his hands. "How did he know about what happened with Snivellus last summer, down by the lake?"

"Someone probably told him about it" Sirius replied. "There were plenty of people who saw what happened to Snape" he said, a small hint of shame in his voice as he recalled the confrontation.

Remus nodded his head. "I admit I should have done something to stop you and I didn't since I didn't want to lose your friendship but Harry's made me see things in a different light"

James had a humble look on his face. "We were going to apologise to Harry about what we almost did again. We know he's right, but even so … it's going to be difficult for us to change something like that so quickly, but we will. We know what we did wasn't fair, but that won't mean we'll let Snape walk all over us either. We'll just have to make sure we get revenge in a more Gryffindor way"

Remus raised his eyebrow in question. "_Gryffindor _way?"

"Okay" James conceded. "In a more dignified way. You know, as in, not a Death Eater in training kind of way!"

Remus shook his head at James, fighting to keep the smile off his face. He sobered up before speaking again. "It's probably a good idea that Harry's out flying. It'll give him some time to calm down. He seemed really angry, kind of similar to Lily when she's shouting at you James!"

**********

The next morning, Harry woke up in his bed as dawn was breaking. He had returned to Gryffindor Tower quite late the previous evening, having missed another dinner with the confrontation preying on his mind. Harry lay on his bed for a while, his mind filled with doubts and apprehension. '_Is my father really just a bully?_' he continued to ask himself. Harry was still in shock at his own behaviour; at the way he had shouted at James and Sirius, how in a way he had actually stood up for Snape. He had expected Voldemort to join the circus and the Hagrid to adopt a harmless little animal before he defended Snape.

Not wanting to remain in the dorm lest he accidentally woke up one of the Marauders, nor wanting to sit in the quiet and empty common room, Harry decided to go down to the Great Hall and see if he could grab an early breakfast. He made his way through the torch-lit corridors until he reached the magnificent Hall. 

There were only a handful of students and Professors at that time in the morning. Kettleburn was sitting at the head table and there were three Ravenclaws sat at their House table. Harry vaguely remembered being told that they were in the fifth year. Harry moved his gaze to that of his own House table, where the remaining student was sitting, eating his breakfast.

It had been several days after his arrival in 1976 when Harry noticed the other students who were also attending Hogwarts at this time. He had put it down to the shock and disbelief he had been feeling at actually meeting his teenage parents and seeing Sirius and Remus, alive and healthy. 

Harry had finally noticed a particular Gryffindor First Year but had not yet had a chance to introduce himself to the young wizard. Without other people to distract him or obstruct his view, Harry could clearly see the family resemblance. From the thin body to his fiery red hair … Weasley hair.

Bill Weasley at 11 was a far cry from the suave, good-looking ladies man that Harry remembered. Even so, Harry could clearly see the older Bill he knew in this younger boy. His hair was shorter, something that Mrs Weasley obviously preferred and he did not have the fang earring that Harry was accustomed to seeing, but his bright inquisitive eyes remained the same.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" Harry asked, looking at the eldest Weasley boy.

The young wizard, who in twenty years' time would grow up into the confidant Curse-Breaker for Gringotts Bank, looked up at Harry in surprise. "Go ahead," he replied.

Harry sat down at the table, facing Bill. He searched his mind for an appropriate conversation starter that would not arouse any suspicions. After all, it would not do to reveal how well he really knew the Weasley family, especially considering Ron, Ginny and most likely Fred and George had not even been born yet.

Harry decided to introduce himself. "I'm Harry Granger" he said.

Bill met his eyes. "I know. I'm Bill" he replied. "Bill Weasley"

"Hello Bill" Harry said with a warm smile. "How are you liking it at Hogwarts so far?"

"It's great" Bill exclaimed. "I've always wanted to be able to do magic since I saw little. Of course, we've hardly done anything significant so far, but it's been great. Dad told me all these stories about when he was at Hogwarts as well"

"Dad?" Harry asked.

"Arthur Weasley, my Dad" Bill explained. "He works for the Ministry, in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. Though what with You-Know-Who and all, he's been more busy tidying up after Dark Marks and muggle attacks than doing his job. he loves tinkering with muggle things"

Harry felt a pang at what was happening in the outside world. It was completely new to him yet at the same time, it was a part of his history … his past. Harry had wondered once or twice about the absence of _any _kind of pain from his scar. It seemed that he was completely unaware of what Voldemort was feeling or doing. He wished that he could ask someone, Hermione or Dumbledore for example, however Hermione was years away in the future and Harry did not trust Dumbledore enough to tell him of the connection between himself and Voldemort.

"So it's just you, your dad and mom?" Harry asked, suppressing a smile since he already knew the answer.

"No" Bill replied. "There's Charlie, he's going to be starting Hogwarts next year. Then last week, my Mum had another baby. My parents named him Percival, but we're calling him Percy. Charlie sent me some pictures by owl post, they're in the Tower, if you're interested that is"

Harry was slightly surprised at the news. He wasn't sure about Percy, especially since he had disowned his family in Harry's own time, but nevertheless, he was pleased for the younger boy. "I don't mind" Harry replied. "Bet you can't wait to meet him"

"No, I can't. Still, I'll be glad to miss the late night feeding sessions and the wailing at all the hours of the day"

"That bad?"

"Don't know yet. Charlie said that Percy's being awfully quiet so far but you never know with babies" Bill remarked. "He could turn out to be a right pain in the arse!"

Harry could not help but chuckle at the irony. "Have you started the flying lessons yet?"

Bill frowned. "No. It's a real pity that we can't bring our own brooms or join the House team in the first year. I doubt that I'm anything special, but I do make a fair chaser," he said. "Charlie on the other hand is a fantastic seeker. A natural!"

"Really" Harry replied, schooling his features into an expression of surprise. "I can't wait to meet him and fly against him"

"You're the Seeker for the team this year aren't you? James Potter's the captain too?"

"Yes on both accounts" Harry confirmed. "I'll let you in on a secret, but you can't tell _anyone_." Harry waited for Bill to nod before continuing, "I managed to get on the Quidditch team in my first year at my old school"

"Wow!" Bill said in a whisper. "You must be really good!"

"Not really," Harry said with a slight amount of embarrassment. "Besides, I've only played one match during the last two years though, so I'm a tad bit rusty. Hey! Why don't you come down to one of the practices and watch? I'll try and sneak a broom out and you can have a fly-about at the same time"

"Really? That would be great!"

"I'm sure James and the rest of the team wouldn't mind" Harry said.

"You know, you and James look kind of similar" Bill mentioned, taking in Harry's face.

Harry did not meet the younger boy's eyes. "Yes, I've been getting that a fair bit. It's just co-incidence" he lied.

"I can't believe you're friends with James Potter and Sirius Black! I've heard so much about those two. Apparently, they're the ones who prank the other Houses and even the Professors!" Bill said with a huge grin.

Harry smiled in response to the younger boy's enthusiasm. "Really, they've mentioned a few things they've done, but I've not heard about what everyone else says about them. So what have you heard?"

**********

The next couple of weeks passed by, in which everyone fell back into their usual pattern of attending classes, doing homework and relaxing. Along the way would come Quidditch practices and the occasional detention. Sirius and James had held back from carrying out any large-scale pranks, still stinging from Harry's lecture. All in all, life in Hogwarts and the Gryffindor Tower in particular, was reasonably calm and normal. That is for everyone except Harry and those who spent time with him. 

Sirius shifted on his broom and felt the cushioning charm adjust to his movement. Sirius was becoming more and more intrigued by the mystery that was Harry Granger. He would catch himself staring at the slender green-eyed teenager, but would look away before anyone noticed. Sirius suspected that James had caught him looking once or twice but thankfully his best friend had not interrogated him on the matter … yet.

The more he learnt about the newest sixth year, the more he realised that he knew almost nothing about him. There was the fact that he hardly ever talked about his family - his adopted family - nor really mentioned his friends from back home … at least not to him. Sirius knew from talking to Remus that Harry had told _him _about his two best friends; Ron and Hermione. He had noticed that Harry seemed interested in Lily and James' family, perhaps _too interested_. Nor could he disregard the fact that Harry and James were similar in looks. He had also noticed that Harry would occasionally be rather unsurprised upon learning certain facts about himself or Remus. He could not shake the feeling that Harry knew him somehow. Of course, there were no facts to confirm his suspicions, just his instinct.

Sirius saw a bludger fly towards one of the chasers and flew to her position, readying his bat to hit it to the other side of the pitch. 

****

Whack!

He watched in satisfaction as the black leather ball moved away, ignoring the annoyed look that James threw him. He knew his best friend and Quidditch Captain was annoyed because he was distracted during the team practice. There had already been a close shave earlier that evening but Sirius could not focus his mind.

Sirius had also observed that Harry had managed to learn his way around the many passages and corridors of Hogwarts quite quickly. In fact, Harry had found a confused Bill Weasley the other day and had walked the first year to his History of Magic lesson. A class that Harry didn't even take! Sirius had also noticed that the Headmaster and McGonagall seemed to look over at Harry quite often and would often check up on him during mealtimes, at least in these first few weeks of term. Then there was that incident when Harry was meditating. The raw power … the _wild magic _that surrounded Harry. It was something that Sirius had never experienced before. It had been like a magnet, drawing him in, fascinating him. This talent … ability of Harry's was something that he had not shared with any of the others. 

Sirius hovered by the Ravenclaw stand, watching as Harry flew lazily between the various balls and players, looking for the Golden Snitch. He smiled softly as Harry flew past the small group of Gryffindor students who had come out to watch them practice, waving at Remus, Lily and that Weasley kid. 

Sirius felt strangely protective of Harry. Sure he looked out for his friends, Peter perhaps the most, but also Remus due to his status as a werewolf. It wasn't the same though … Harry's wellbeing was foremost in his mind. Frankly, Sirius suspected that he had a crush on Harry and he didn't know what to do about it. Actually, Sirius knew perfectly well what to do to get a date, but this was Harry. Instinctively, he knew it was different in this case.

Sirius was so lost in his thoughts that he did not notice one of the bludgers was heading towards Harry. There was a **_crack _**and a loud shout full of pain. Sirius focussed his eyes and saw that Harry had fallen to the ground. His heart pounded in his ears and his mouth went dry as he flew towards the fallen Seeker. Harry was unnaturally still as he lay on the ground, his intact broom only a few metres away. Guilt flowed through Sirius' veins and he realised that he should have been paying more attention to the practice and not thinking about Harry.

He reached the ground just after Lily and Remus had reached Harry. James had thrown a glare at Sirius, hinting that he would be chastised later that evening before he levitated Harry towards the castle and thus the Hospital Wing. Remus had sent a sympathetic look at him before following the unconscious boy. Sirius could not completely squash the slight feeling of jealousy he felt towards one of his closest friends, someone who seemed to be closer to Harry than he was.

An angry looking redhead stopped Sirius from following the unconscious wizard. He glanced at the fiery-tempered witch, intending on side-stepping her, but Evans placed her slim body in front of him and prevented him from moving past her.

"Where the hell were you Black!" she spat, " and what were you doing when that bludger hit Harry?"

Sirius' eyes grew wider as Evans' face turned red from anger. "I … I…"

"I swear Black," Evans continued, ignoring Sirius' stuttering, "If Harry is badly hurt, you'll regret it twice as much for every day he's stuck in the Hospital Wing!" she snapped before stalking towards the castle. 

Later that evening, once Pomfrey had forced the worried Gryffindors out of the Wing after explaining that Harry was fine and in a natural sleep, Sirius snuck back into the Hospital Wing. He quickly located the bed that Harry was sleeping in and closed the curtain behind him. He looked at the sleeping face and wondered how Harry looked so innocent in his sleep. Sirius recalled the serious and pensive expressions that sometimes found itself on Harry's face. The tension and worry that vanished while the messy-haired teenager slept.

"Harry" Sirius whispered. "I'm sorry you got hurt because I wasn't doing my job as a Beater properly. Ironically, it was because I was thinking about you that I became distracted … not that it's your fault. I didn't mean or want you to get hurt. Lily's ready to rip my balls off if you don't wake up soon and James keeps on glaring at me. Then I have this strange feeling that Moony is going to make me pay for this during the next full moon. Not that you have any idea what I'm blabbering on about or that you can hear me either.

"Anyway. I just wanted to apologise without everyone glaring at me. That and I really didn't want to do this with the others watching me. They're rather taken with you … like me I guess. And they're just slightly protective of you as well so it's just as well they won't be seeing this"

With that, Sirius smoothed the messy black hair away and pressed his lips to Harry's forehead. He straightened and smiled softly at the sleeping Harry before quietly leaving the Hospital Wing and returning to the Gryffindor Tower.

**********

Author's Note:

Sweet Merlin! What can I say? It's been an age since I last updated this story and for that I sincerely apologise. There are many, many reasons but the biggest one is the job applications and assessment centres I've been doing. That and the major case of writers' block I suffered with. I struggled with one of the character for a couple of weeks and just today (or last night really), I just opened the file and started writing and the whole lot just wrote itself. I hope that it's up to the usual standards!

Next chapter is a crucial one in terms of plot. I'm toying with the idea of writing a story for Valentines but also getting the main bits of the next chapter of **Happily Ever After?** down. 

Firstly, I would like to include the thanks for those of you who read and reviewed **Expelled**.

Many thanks to **Vicious Lily, Witchy-Althea, BipolarGirl, ping*pong5, gaul1, Firesword, sil, Penny, Lord of Light311 and Spica P.I.**

ping*pong5 - I think that all of the HP books are pretty unique in that happiness is very effectively disguised. It's not so much that happiness is lacking, but at this point in the storyline, the scales of justice are somewhat skewed. I will think about a sequel to this after I have finished **Happily Ever After?**, which will be very soon. Only a chapter or two to go!

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Penny - I've never been expelled from school but I agree. Expulsion after the Dementor incident would have been the nest thing really, especially considering the whole idiotic trial/ expulsion could have been revoked at the end of Harry's fifth year!

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Spica P.I. - *SStar blushes* Thank you. I'd love to get more reviews but I'm satisfied knowing that people enjoyed reading my (short) version of OotP. You consider me to possess the same imagination as JK Rowling? Oh Wow! That is such a lovely compliment! Thank you again!

Now the many replies to the reviews for the last chapter of **Turn Back Time**. [Hint: There are spoilers and hints for the story in my replies]

HUGE thanks to everyone who took time out to read and review the last chapter of this story, you have my gratitude! Including **fixedinsanity, Lanfear1, Elfy19, DaBear, oracle, Lady Psyche, Ajake, Lady Phoenix Slytherin, Siri Kat, Kenny7, Avade Kedavra, Avvy Kavvy, SilverKnight7, Larissa, Necromant, Anilia Hawkeye, lilybbee, qq, and Aurora**

Vicious Lily - *blushes* In love with moi? *looks around* Love you too hun! 

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Gaul1 - Definitely last two, but am still working out the details regarding the Dark Mark. The magical _sense _is becoming quite fascinating and may become more important later in the story, but I promise no uber-powerful Harry here though.

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Romm - As we all well know, Harry is by no means perfect. I'm trying to keep the plot as real as possible so far (well as much as can be when magic and time-travel are involved!)

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Avada Kedavra - One is correct! The slash will be slow to build up I admit, but you have to remember they are only two weeks into the new school year. There are several issues to sort out first, besides, I dislike it when they just fall into bed without proper explanation. Hopefully, you'll like it when it eventually gets there.

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ping*pong5 - I do like to confuse people but there is a reason to my madness. Really there is - all will eventually be explained.

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kel6 - I suppose, but I use the word _elective _and I'm British. I suppose it depends on the person but I picked it up while at University. Thanks, I was concerned regarding the characterisations, but I'm glad everyone seems to like it.

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SilverKnight7 - Definitely before Christmas (Maybe sooner, maybe later!) *evil laughter*

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moonlight-madness - *SStar bows* Thank you, thank you. Firstly I would like to thank my … Anyway, correct guess (I'm a sucker for puppies). Glow of magic - what Harry perceives is in various degrees or even shades of white I suppose. The brightness of the colour implies the strength of the magic imbued in it. Remember, this is a really new thing for Harry and he's only scratched the surface of his ability so there will be some surprises to come.

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divad relffehs - Thanks for pointing that out. I know I'm not perfect and can't remember everything so pointing it out helps. It should be different in the edit I'll be doing in the future. My point I would like to make is that not all wizards pop when apperating. There are several others (Forge come to mind) who also crack. I have an opinion on this but I don't want to reveal it right not. I believe all house elves crack though.

Regarding Dumbledore. I don't think so. A strange boy who looks like James appears out of nowhere? He needs an explanation. Otherwise he would have closely kept an eye on Harry and noticed that Harry is very curious regarding his parents etc and would pry. If not through Legilimency then by another means. He's not a crafty, manipulative old sod (in the nicest way) for nothing! Harry had to appease him somehow. I spent a while working out what Harry should tell Dumbledore and anyone who finds out his secret. I personally believe I'm not revealing too much. **Not anything Harry has said has the ability to significantly change the timeline. **

It's not stupid, if anything, I like to defend my writing and choices. It means those reading are thinking about what they read and in turn gives me ideas for the plit. I hope you keep on enjoying it!

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Witchy-Althea - Thank you. When will you be updating?

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Necromant - James has other people to be jealous of regarding Lily. From what I've read, it seems quite contrived and common for James to be jealous of Harry or for Lily to fall for Harry. That isn't to say it won't happen! I am rather mean to Snape but it's because I know what Snape's got up his sleeve. I promise to finish, honest!

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HarryGriffinGirl - you're spot on! But Harry is only discovering this.

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zorro x - Don't fret. I think you'll like how it turns out.

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Dumbledore - I like powerful!Harry provided it's grounded in reality. I hate how in canon, how inept Harry comes across as. When he puts his mind to it, Harry is great at Magic. My opinion is that Hermione intimidates him and Ron distracts him. Harry doesn't read since Hermione knows it all and he doesn't try as hard since Ron will get all jealous. Just my opinions though. In 1976 though, he's free from all those constraints and the whole Boy-Who-Lived guise and media interest. He's just another student in the same year as some exceptionally bright students, including James, Sirius, Remus, and Lily. Harry can do nothing but improve! I feel so bad, I forgot about Lily in my notes, but she's becoming a great character. Expect to see more. There will be duelling and lots of it! Thanks for the comment, they're not dumb!

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Lady Pyra - First of all: THANK YOU. I was online as your reviews came in and feel very flattered and impressed. If you don't mind, but how long did it take you to read the whole lot? I'm worried about your ship concern since that's my aim. Although it sounds strange, I am trying to write it tastefully. It's important to the plot though, for both characters. I hope it won't put you off the story though.

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letandletlive - Oops. Thanks re: spelling. Not my strong point. Will be changed in the edit. Hooked? How long did it take to read? Am very curious.

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Calen - interesting point. Pity Tonks is about 4 or 6 in 1976. Thanks for the comments. Regarding your questions. Very soon. Much later. Not telling (hint hint!)

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annon - Thanks and yes it is,

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Vasquez1987 - Thanks. I appreciate it. It make me feel great knowing people enjoy my work.

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Larissa - Wow! I've read loads that are good/ better, but then I am my own worst critic.

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Patricia Black - I liked Harry yelling at Snape, especially since he can get away with it. It's also important since it helps Harry grow as a person. I think Harry's new ability will become significant later, glad you like it too.

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Serpent of Light - Thanks for the lovely comments. I was worried about Peter (and the lack of him) but I'm glad you liked it. I think what is important for me here is that the characters stay real, especially in face of the chaos I've got planned for them.

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BlueGryphon - Yes. Quite soon, definitely before Christmas.

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falling ice star - I admit it is slow paced, but there are many issues to cover, especially for Harry. Later chapters will cover longer lengths of time. Excitement? Depends on what you define by excitement. Trust me, there will be action and excitement, but it's only two weeks into term.

As for Snape. He went through a very humiliating and embarrassing experience. I doubt he would be like anything we've encountered so far in canon. It's a bit of a transition for him, hence why Snape acts as he does. At the moment, Snape is my shakiest characterisation and your opinions on how you think he should be will be appreciated and considered. I thought Peter was creepy too!

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Locolisa - Thanks. I think it's important. A story can't just be characters or plot, but a mix of both with some magic dust to make it special!

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ping*pong5 - It's someone close to Harry and had already been mentioned in the story. I can't wait for the character to appear!

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Hilel - Thank you. I tried to keep the timetravel original but here's a tidbit for anyone reading my replies. The WWW sweet had a significant effect on those who tested it on the train.

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Aussie-Girl3 - Thanks. It's lovely to see my name on other people's lists.

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girlknight - *blushes* I read through the first few chapter and realised I need t edit them. Chapter 3 remains my favourite so far.

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Larissa - My point was that I've written over 60k words and I'm less than halfway through and only in the second week of term! I like long stories so long as they have a point, plot and humour.

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Acadia Jules - *cheers* You're back! I was slightly concerned. Your pairing wish - you got it! Something is going to happen re: Peter but in my opinion, MPPL are more inclined to believe Harry (if and when they realise his true identity). As for Potions, I was trying to work out why Snape is so mean to the students and I think it's because of his own schooling and teacher. Snape annoys Harry but he's fairly low on Harry's list so there won't be any accidental magic yet. How's your HP story going?

I apologise in advance for any mistakes, spelling, grammatical or otherwise. It is all my fault since this is unbeta'd. Please review and send any helpful comments, all will be appreciated. Any flames, however, will be, in all honesty, disregarded. Thank you for reading!

**__**

SStar


	9. The Calm Before The Storm

Comments: e-mail at sstar_luna@yahoo.co.uk or Review button below.

Rating: PG-13 for now, although that may change later. Will be **slash **later in the story. HP/?, JP/LP

Spoilers: All books

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot. All Harry Potter™ characters and settings are the sole intellectual property of JK Rowling, Warner Bros. and various others who all aren't connected to me in any way. No money is being made with this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 8: The Calm Before The Storm

Harry ran his hands through his black hair, shaking the excess water off. He grabbed the towel that he had draped over the door, wrapped it around his hips, and walked out of the bathroom. The last few weeks with the Marauders and Lily had ensured that he was attending meals and eating more than he had the entire summer. The result being that he had gained some of his lost weight. Quidditch practices, on the other hand, had started to hone his muscles and it was beginning to show. Harry made his way through the Sixth Year boys' dorms, nodding at Sirius as he passed him until he reached his four poster bed. Harry closed the curtains and reached for his school uniform. 

As he dressed, Harry thought about the evening ahead. It was Monday, 08 October 1976 and that Monday night was the full moon. Over the last few days, Harry had noticed that Remus had been becoming more and more pale and ill looking. Realising that the other Marauders would want to accompany Remus that night, Harry decided that he would avoid them that evening so they could leave the dorms unhindered. 

A small part of him, however, wanted to tell the Marauders that he knew what they were upto and he was slightly hurt that they did not trust him enough to tell him about Remus' condition and their ability to become Animagi. At the same time, Harry realised why he was being deceived and understood where they were coming from. Harry decided to go to the Library later that day or tomorrow and start search for textbooks that would explain how he could also become an Animagus. 

Half an hour later, Harry was sitting at the Gryffindor table, filling his plate with toast, bacon, and scrambled eggs. The morning post arrived as he filled his goblet with pumpkin juice and Hedwig flew down and rested on his shoulder. Harry murmured a greeting and complimented his faithful owl as he stroked her feathers. Hedwig took a sip of his juice and nipped his ear affectionately before grabbing a piece of bacon and flying out of the high windows back to the Owlery.

Harry turned his attention to Sirius and James, who had just put a letter away from James' parents . Harry's grandparents: George and Mary Potter. Harry motioned to gain the attention of Sirius and James. "Don't worry if I'm not at dinner or in the Tower later. I'm going to go and talk to the Headmaster for a little while tonight. He and McGonagall have asked me often enough so I thought I'd better take him up on one of those offers," Harry said, weaving the lies and truth together surprisingly easily. "I might get back to the Tower quite late, depending on what Dumbledore wants to talk to me about. I'll try not to wake you up when I get back though" Harry continued, noticing the relieved looks on their faces out of the corner of his eye. 

James smiled at him in reply. "I'm sure you won't make any noise that'll wake us up. It'll be like you're not there at all"

Harry ducked his head to hide his own smile. '_That's true enough_' he thought. '_You'll be spending the night in the Shack and the Forbidden Forest_'

Sirius suddenly spoke up, leaning into James' side. "Jamie-boy!" he said in a high pitched voice. "Evans is coming this way. Going to ask her out again?"

James glared at his best friend and Harry, both of whom were trying to hide their amusement with little success. "Shut it Siri, or I'll give you a dose of that Bat Bogey Hex!"

Sirius snorted. "I think I would have ducked the hex rather than have loads of flapping wings like you did!"

"She was wearing that little black dress! You know . that one that looks perfect on her. I was momentarily stunned by her beautiful red hair and perfect body!" James exclaimed. "Not that I only fancy her because of her looks. I appreciate her mind as well" James rushed to explain.

Harry laughed as he remembered how wide James' eyes had become upon seeing Lily in _that_ dress. James had been convinced that Lily was going on a date with someone and had looked ready to curse that particular someone, but it had turned out that she was only going to a Prefects' meeting. Instead, James had managed to persuade Remus to keep his eyes on the redhead in case she flirted with anyone at the meeting. 

Remus had looked from James to Harry, who had nodded discretely, and back towards James before finally agreeing. It had been over a hour later when the Gryffindor Prefects finally returned to the Tower. James, having heard that Lily had been the perfect model student, then attempted to talk to her and persuade her to go on a date with him. 

Lily, it seemed, had not _quite _forgotten about the incident involving Snape on Friday the thirteenth, and the part James had played in that confrontation. Much to the amusement of the other Gryffindor students, after insulting James on a number of things, she then hexed the popular pranker with the Bat Bogey Hex before stalking up the staircase that led to the girls' dorms.

"James, James, James" Sirius said while shaking his head in mock sorrow. "See a pretty girl and you lose all capacity of common sense. Whatever shall I do with you?"

"Like you're any different" James countered. 

"Me? I am the perfect gentleman!"

"_As if_" a new voice interjected, causing Sirius and James to jump slightly in their seats while Harry laughed at their shocked expressions.

"Black, the day you become a gentleman is the day Snape stops calling me a Mudblood!" Lily dryly stated. Harry had been informed about her threat to Sirius after that unfortunate Quidditch practice by a fearful sounding Sirius. Sirius had been profusely grateful when Harry had told Lily that he was perfectly fine and asked her not to blame or take revenge on Sirius. Harry had explained to Lily that he should have been more aware of the bludger, but he blamed his injury on his lack of practice on the Quidditch field. Harry had assured the red-haired witch that he would not be quite so careless in the future, but if he was, she would be well within her right to hex him, which seemed to calm her nerves.

Harry was under no illusions. Lily had not believed a word that he said but she respected him enough to do as he asked. Something that Sirius had also quickly realised. Since then, the blue eyed wizard had been paying a significant amount of attention towards Harry. Not that Harry had minded in the slightest. Deep within him, Harry knew that he missed Sirius and he tried not to think that when he eventually returned to his own time, he would have to accept that Sirius was dead. Though Harry would obviously miss James and Lily, he never really knew them as parents. Sirius on the other hand, had been very close to him and a part of him grieved for what was in this young, handsome, vibrant wizard's future.

"Hey" Sirius protested weakly, not wanting to annoy the fiery witch this early in the day.

"Besides, I'm not here to talk to _you_" she said, preventing any of Sirius' attempts to defend himself. "Harry? Ready for Transfiguration?" she asked, before turning and walking towards the doors. 

Harry glanced at his empty plate, privately satisfied at finishing the meal, and grabbed his bag. He threw an apologetic smile at James. "I'll put in a good word for you. See if she might accept a date" he said at the morose-looking James who had been largely ignored by Lily.

"Make that a lot of words!" Sirius shouted after him as he poked his best friend in his side.

**********

After Transfiguration, the four Marauders and Harry were making their way to the DADA classroom. Transfiguration had been getting slightly easier as the weeks passed and McGonagall seemed pleased with his progress. Most lessons, he and Lily worked side by side, helping each other through any rough spots. More often than not, Sirius and James would keep an eye on their progress and they often offered help, adding to Lily's confusion and Harry's amusement. Harry could tell from her narrowed green eyes that Lily was suspicious of the help that was offered, often trying to discover the reason for their generosity.

Harry noted that Peter had stopped to retie his shoelace but did not take any further notice of the rat. He continued to talk to James who was telling him about the letter he had received at breakfast from his parents. Apparently one of the House Elves had become pregnant and they had decided to redecorate a room for Sirius to stay in over the holidays. Sirius, who was walking slightly ahead of James, was gesturing wildly as he talked to Remus. 

One moment Harry was walking next to James, the next he found himself looking at the surprised faces of James, and Sirius and Remus who stood a few metres away. Harry extended his arms against the floor to lever himself up to his feet but brought it back up when it came into contact with a cold wet sensation. Harry frowned as he realised that his right hand was stained with the scarlet coloured ink that surrounded him and Harry realised that he had slipped on the wet floor.

Suddenly Filch appeared around the corridor, as if drawn by some mysterious force towards a student breaking the rules. At his side was the constant presence of Mrs Norris, Filchs' mangy cat. The squibs' eyes popped as he saw Harry and the mess of ink that he had slipped upon.

"Filth" he shouted, pointed a yellowing finger at Harry. "I've had enough of it! Students walking about the castle thinking they own it! Especially you troublemakers, Potter! Black! I'll see you expelled yet! Merlin forbid you two ever have any brats! You . Granger! Causing trouble already I see"

"But . but I didn't do anything" Harry started to say, coming out of his shock.

"Ha!" Flich exclaimed with glee. "Don't you try that with me Granger. I caught you _red-handed_! You can't get out of that!" he said triumphantly, pointing at Harry's hands. "Detention with me _tonight_. My office!" he wheezed before shuffling off, muttering about dirty teenagers and scrubbing, Mrs Norris following close behind.

Harry did not even have the opportunity to protest further before Filch vanished behind a tapestry. Harry knew perfectly well that the ink had not been there a minute ago. Therefore, Harry concluded, he had possibly been pranked; an unlikely event since Sirius and James looked just as confused and outraged as he was. The other explanation was that someone had deliberately tried to get him into trouble and hence a detention. Harry nodded absently while Remus informed him that he would tell Steelfield what had happened. Finally Harry managed to stand up and looked down at his stained clothes before making his way to the nearest bathroom, trying to ensure he did not leave an ink trail that would cause further trouble with Filch.

James and Sirius were talking in whispers as they watched Harry walk away. Peter approached the pair with a small skip in his steps and a smile on his face. "I had this fantastic idea James, just as we were walking towards Defence" Peter started to say, looking at James with a bright light in his watery eyes. "You know we needed to get Harry out of the way for tonight, well I got us one!" he announced happily. "I thought that if Harry had detention with Filch tonight then he wouldn't notice we weren't in our beds tonight so I sent a spell at him and it worked!" he finished, looking up at James expectantly.

If Peter had expected congratulations, he had sorely misjudged his actions. Remus, who had also heard Peter's confession, frowned at the smaller boy while James and Sirius narrowed their eyes in anger. Peter started to look nervous, his gaze flitting from one to the other. He wrung his hands and ducked his head. "Did I do something wrong?" he whispered.

Sirius exploded. "Something wrong!" he almost shouted. 

James' voice remained low, but there was no mistaking the anger lacing its tone. "Harry was going to visit the Headmaster this evening so he wasn't _even _going to be around. Now he can't even do that because of you!"

"Can you get any more stupid" Sirius seethed, his attraction fuelling his anger.

"Besides" James continued, stopping Sirius from further insulting the shorter boy. "Even if he weren't visiting Dumbledore, we would have found a way of distracting him without getting him into detention. Detention with Filch is just." James trailed off, shaking his head.

"He didn't deserve that" Remus finished, his sad disappointed tone causing Peter to flinch. 

"I thought you would have been pleased I managed to get him out of the way" Peter said, distress evident on his plump face.

"Well you obviously thought wrong" Sirius growled, his lips curled back so that he bared his teeth like a dog.

"No. Friends wouldn't do that to other friends" Remus replied. "Getting Harry deliberately into trouble wasn't right. You wouldn't betray _our _trust like that so why should it be any different with Harry?"

"Remus is right," James said. "You'll have to apologise to Harry and tell him what you did"

Sirius glowered at Peter, causing him to cower from the angry teenager. Remus also did not seem to have much sympathy for the shorter boy, but lacked the energy to properly chastise him. "Look, Harry's gone to try to remove the red ink he's covered with. It's almost time for Defence to start and we don't need Steelfield to take any more points from us and I bet you anything, if Filch catches us here, he'll give us detention to boot" 

They hurried towards the Defence classroom and entered the room, closely followed by a red-faced Harry, but before they could talk to him, the students were all told to sit down to take a surprise test. Once the lesson had ended, Harry hurried out of the classroom before the Marauders could catch up and grabbed a sandwich from the Great Hall. As the Marauders approached him, Harry apologised and explained that he had to finish his Potions homework, especially since he would be in detention that evening instead. Harry was rushing up the stairs before Peter could say a single word of apology, not that Harry had noticed since Peter had been using James as a body shield. 

Peter still believed that he had not done anything warranting this level of anger, but he was afraid that if he did not apologise to Harry, the others possibly would not forgive him. Peter knew that he depended upon James and Sirius to protect him from the other students, especially the Slytherins. His own magical ability paled significantly in comparison and he would not have been able to become an animagus without the help of the other Sixth year boys. As it was, his OWL results had been mediocre at best, but he knew that they would have been worse had it not been for Remus' patient tutoring and James' brilliant aptitude for magic.

Recently, Peter was slowly beginning to feel as though the other three Marauders forgot that he was even there at times. He only shared half of his classes with his friends, while Harry was in almost all of his classes with James. Sure Peter was used to being overlooked, but not by Remus or James, they were the ones who protected him. 

Aside from this, Peter could tell that Harry was bad news. It wasn't because the strange green-eyed wizard barely ever talked to him or the uncomfortable feeling he had when he was near Harry. There was something about Harry Granger that unnerved him, but perhaps the most influential factor was how everyone seemed to like Harry even though no-one knew the first thing about him. Peter was of the opinion that since Harry was the new kid, he should rate lower than those who had been there for over five years, such as Peter himself. 

No, to Peter, Harry was bad news and he intended to find out what it was the new kid was hiding. After all, one never knew when such information would come in useful, especially in these dark times. If Harry Granger turned out to be bad news and a spy for You-Know-Who, Peter would be the first to tell the Ministry and maybe then he could become an Auror or an Unspeakable like James would once he left school. 

There had been no opportunities that day for Peter to apologise to Harry, something he had been secretly grateful for since he still resented his friends demanding he did so. Harry had already left for his detention when the other three Marauders sneaked out of the Tower later that evening. Though he had spent the night holding onto Prongs' antlers as they explored the forest, it had been a rougher ride than normal and Peter was glad when he finally returned to the Tower and fell asleep instantly.

The opportunity to apologise did not come the next morning either. Peter left the Gryffindor Tower to attend his Herbology lesson while James, Sirius, and Harry slept in. Remus, Peter presumed, was either still in the Shrieking Shack or Pomfrey had collected him and taken Remus to the Hospital Wing to attend to any wounds. While Peter had Divination in the North Tower later that morning, Harry along with the others, had NEWT level Potions in the dungeons with several Slytherins, including Snape. That was as good a reason as any to avoid Harry. Nor did the opportunity present itself to talk to the green-eyed wizard in their Care of Magical Creatures lesson that afternoon.

It had been a thoroughly miserable two days for Peter, which served only to increase the resentment he felt towards Harry Granger. Once Professor Kettleburn had dismissed the NEWT level students, James had sent Peter a pointed look but to his luckily for him, Harry had already disappeared into the castle. Peter looked towards James, hoping that he might be able to postpone his apology once more but unfortunately, his luck seemed to have finally run out.

"Peter. Harry said he's going to the Library to do some research" James started, after glancing at Remus who nodded in confirmation.

"So it's the perfect time for you to go and apologise, isn't it Wormtail?" Sirius asked pointedly.

"We'll see you in the Tower after you apologise to Harry I guess" Remus finished.

Peter looked at the stern faces before ducking his head. "Okay, I'm off then" he muttered before slowly making his way to the Library.

**********

James and Sirius burst into the their dorm room with Remus trailing a small way behind, smiling wryly at his friends' behaviour. 

"Guys" Remus started. "I'm going to have a short nap since I'm still a bit tired from the night before"

James smiled sympathetically at his amber-eyed friend whose face reflected the exhaustion he was feeling. "Go ahead," James replied warmly, "I'll wake you up for dinner if you're not up by then anyway"

"Thanks" Remus said before disappearing into his four poster bed.

Sirius fell onto James' bed and stretched his long legs.

"Padfoot! Get your dirty feet of my bloody bed!"

"What are going to do about it?" Sirius drawled. "Besides, you didn't give a damn at your parent's place"

James cocked his head and glared at the smirking wizard. Suddenly his expression brightened up. "Yeah. I suppose so. Budge over!" he shouted.

Sirius barely had time to shift along the bed before James jumped onto the bed. "Ow!" he exclaimed. "Give a guy some warning, will you Prongs!"

"Sorry Padfoot"

"S'ok"

"Nice of Kettleburn to let us off earlier. So what shall we do with all this free time until dinner?" Sirius teased, waggling his eyebrows at James.

"I'm not going to snog you if that's what you're asking" James retorted with a huge grin.

"Oh but Jamsie!" Sirius pleaded. "How could you think so badly of me!"

"I know you, remember"

"Snogging isn't always on my mind!"

"No, I'll give you that"

Sirius looked smug but it was soon wiped off his face as James continued. "You also think about sex, pretty girls and boys, pranks . need I go on?"

"Oh yes, please do" Sirius replied in a droll voice.

James' eyes widened in surprise before he gamely took on the challenge. "There's Quidditch and the Wasps. You think about Padfoot and when you can next take the opportunity to transform. You think about Remus, Peter and me" James continued, his voice becoming more and more serious as he carried on. "I know you think about your so-called family. You worry about Regulus, you're proud of Andromoda and what she has acomplished, and you'd love to meet little Nymphadora again. Yet at the same time, you're worried about what this war will do to those you consider family and what those that are considered your family will do in this war. You project an image of being irresponsible and sometimes stupid, but you hide the fact that you're extremely intelligent and gifted in magic. You're stubborn and opinionated and hate to admit that you can be wrong, but you always try to do what is right and follow your heart"

"Wow" Sirius breathed in awe.

"I know" James replied, a twinkle in his hazel eyes.

"Damn. I knew there was a reason why you're my best mate!"

"Who else is more stubborn that you? Who else could put up with you for so long!" James laughed. "And who else will know you better than yourself?"

Sirius pretended to think. "Obviously you. Remus too, but Peter's too scared of me"

"Still, he's a good friend. Usually in the background, but always there" James replied. "What about Harry?"

Blue eyes widened at the question. "Yeah, Harry's a good sort" Sirius said carefully. "I can't help but think I know him better than I actually do. There's just something about him that seems familiar, as if I've known him for years"

"Apart from the fact that he looks kind of like me?"

"Apart from that. He's brave and loyal"

"Like me"

Sirius snorted more in amusement than disbelief. "He's intelligent and curious"

"Like Moony"

"He's impulsive yet loyal"

"Like you"

"He's got a damn scary temper but it's tempered with a moral conscience"

"Big words!" James laughed, lifting the sombre mood for a moment. "Reminds me of Lily Evans" James continued, his eyes becoming glassy as his mind wandered to the slim, red-haired, green-eyed beauty.

"He's got more secrets than Dumbledore himself I bet!" Sirius said after nudging James to gain his attention. "He's obviously powerful"

"But doesn't seem to want to use it"

"Or he might not realise it" Sirius countered. "He seems really sad at times, yet he also gets this look, like he's been given all the gold in Gringotts. He's an enigma"

James smirked. "That's something you like" 

"Huh?"

"You like Harry" It was a statement, not a question.

"He likes all of us, me, you, and especially Remus"

"Why do you say that?"

Sirius shrugged. He had noticed that Remus and Harry often spent evenings working on homework or just chatting. Sure Harry talked Quidditch with James and sometimes Sirius, but Harry always seemed to be more comfortable talking to the amber-eyed wizard. "He spends a fair amount of time with Evans too"

"You think he fancies her?" James questioned with an edge to his voice.

Sirius knew not to tease his best friend, nor to mislead him. "No . no I don't. Besides Evans has pretty much adopted him"

James frowned for a minute before finally relaxing. "I think I know what you mean. Perhaps that particular incident after that Quidditch practice. She railed into me after that one for letting you lose your concentration mate. You owe me one since she didn't go after you and hex you stupid!"

Sirius winced. "He doesn't need babying" Sirius protested. "At least not like Peter does"

"No he doesn't, but maybe it's because he looks a bit like me or just . there's just something about him" James countered. "I can't help but worry about Harry. Remember how thin he was at the start of term"

A grimace formed on Sirius' face. "Yeah. Thank Merlin we managed to get him to eat more. He's filled out and toned up some, all the girls will be after him if he's not careful"

"Jealous that Harry will be competition or that the girls will be after him?" James asked.

James did not garner a reply apart from the finger from his best friend. He stared at Sirius for a minute or two, causing the younger wizard to shift uncomfortably on the bed. Sirius was about to hex James' hair a Slytherin green when the bespectacled wizard broke his stare. Instead, a smile formed on his face, one that said he knew something but was not telling. Sirius rolled his sapphire eyes and stuck out his tongue causing James to chuckle at his friends' childish behaviour.

"Come on" James said. "We've got to practice the Charms homework. Can't have any slimy Slytherin showing us up, can we?"

"Right. It's _Aparecium _to uncover the real whats-ee-doo-da"

"Nice explanation" James snickered, earning him a punch on the arm. "But before you cast it, remember to cast the spell that will illuminate any masking charms and glamours, otherwise you dopey dog, you won't know where to direct the revealing charm!"

Sirius did not reply since he had already begun to cast several concealing charms and James followed, directing the spell in random directions. Once they had done this, James cast a spell to illuminate all the charms they had just cast. The two dark-haired teenagers started to use the revealing charm to uncover the original items. Sirius having just revealed Peter's secret hiding place for his copies of Witches Monthly, shook his head at his innocent roommate while James was working on a spell that had hit Remus' bed curtains.

Sirius moved to approach James when he noticed that a glamour had hit Harry's trunk. Crouching in front of the dark blue trunk, Sirius cast the charm that would remove the masking charm. His first attempt did not succeed so Sirius put more power into the spell before directing it at the trunk. A moment later, the glamour dissolved in front of his eyes, revealing the information it had been concealing. Sirius read the name on the trunk in disbelief, his eyes wide with shock. The shock caused him to lose his balance and Sirius fell on his arse with a loud _thump_. 

James looked over at his best friend, whose attention was caught by something on Harry's trunk. James felt a strange prickling sensation at the back of his neck, he had never seen his best friend so shocked. "_Padfoot!_" he said. Gaining no reply, he moved closer. "Sirius?" he asked again in a sharper tone.

Sirius did not reply but instead pointed at the trunk. James moved closer to the blue trunk and looked at the area where Sirius' finger was pointing. His eyes grew round and the blood drained from his face. It took a couple of minutes before any sound came out of his mouth and even then it sounded like meaningless babble. James' mouth opened and closed a few more times before he finally managed to articulate a name.

"_REMUS!_" he bellowed, hoping to wake the sleeping werewolf. His shout also served to bring Sirius out of his shock. 

The blue eyed wizard rubbed his eyes before looking at the trunk again to see whether he was imagining things or not. "_Bloody hell_" he swore.

A third, somewhat muffled, voice reached their ears. "Yes Prongs?" they heard. A tousled head popped out between the drawn bed curtains, revealing the tired looking Remus. "What's got you all hot and bothered?" he asked more clearly. 

"Look at this and tell us that we're not imagining things" James demanded.

"What? You're delusional?" Remus grumbled good-naturedly. "I already knew that" he continued. His sharp eyes quickly found the source of the other's agitation. He raised an eyebrow. "My, my. That is interesting, don't you think?" he said out loud.

"How the _hell _can you be so bloody _calm _about this. This is huge! This is _impossible_, right James?"

"Well I don't know what the hell is going on!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. The confusion and frustration was evident in his voice. "Is this someone's idea of a joke? Or is it a Death Eater's plot?"

"What about the Map" Remus suggested. "You can check if it's really him since the map won't lie. Glamours, polyjuice potion, metamorphagus and such like don't affect the Map's ability to recognise and identify a person in the castle"

"How can you be so _bloody _calm about this?" Sirius demanded, having got to his feet.

"I already knew he was hiding something. He never really hid the fact, did he?" Remus replied reasonably.

Sirius frowned. "But he lied" he said, hurt leeching into his voice.

"So did I when you first knew me" 

"This isn't hiding the fact that you were a werewolf once a month!"

"Maybe it's something equally important, or more important"

"We need to ask him," Sirius stated.

"We need to find him first" Remus reminded him.

"I thought I knew all of James' relatives"

"Maybe they forgot about him"

"Then what's with all the lies about his family? Being adopted and that crap"

"No idea. He'll have t explain"

"James is looking for the Map" Sirius said. 

The two wizards looked at James, who was staring at the piece of parchment in his hand. They approached the silent wizard and looked at the parchment. They scanned the map, looking for one wizard in particular. Finally, they found him . in the Hospital Wing with Peter and Pomfrey. There on the map was the name that confused all three boys in that room in Gryffindor Tower . _Harry Potter_.

One thought ran through their minds as they ran down the staircase, towards the Hospital Wing. '_Who is Harry Potter and what relation was he to James?_'

**********

Notes:

Aren't I good? A chapter out less than a week after the last one? This is the precursor to the big event that some of you have been asking about. I could have added the next bit on, but then it would take longer to write and therefore post, but also there wasn't a suitable cut-off point. I hope you don't mind, but this should whet your appetite somewhat. 

Some good and bad news. Am getting broadband installed later this week (finally!) but also have several application forms, interviews and other job-hunting things to do as well. I have no idea regarding the free time in my near future, but I shall keep on writing. I would love to have hit 225 reviews or even more by the time I next update - do you think you can oblige? I love reading your reviews (hint hint?) LOL

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Warning: The following review responses contain hints and spoilers for future plot points and chapters! HUGE thanks to everyone who took time out to read and review the last chapter of this story, you have my gratitude! These include **Calen, ElvenWitch2, CrimsonTearsOfPain, Imaginable, MaidenLady, Larissa, Jaded Angel8, liveandletlive, whoo, Necromant, shamanogler, SPASH Panther, zorro x, Hero Girl Of Brian, Serpent of Light, Shaye, Witchy-Althea, Romm, Prongsblacks, Hushykid3, Lady Pyra, gaul1, and pameruh qui aime malfoy.**

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pameruh qui aime malfoy - Bill is sweet. I'm not sure where I'm going with him quite yet, but he and much later on, Charlie, will have their part in this story. There are other characters from the HPverse that'll make significant contributions to the plot as well.

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Lady Pyra - Sometimes I wish that I could read this as though it was completely new so I had a better perspective of it, but I can't complain too much. I'm glad you're more open to the ship. One of my aims is to show that this ship can be written and portrayed in such a way that it's not icky but tasteful. I hope I accomplish that and you enjoy what I have planned for the future (controversial stuff!)

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Hushykid3 - It's definitely a guy/guy thing but it will explore the James/Lily aspect but it's more of a background relationship that affects those around them.

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Romm - Good question. One that I had considered but not as much as I ought to have. You'll find out what Snape been upto in the next chapter. I'll say this . he's not best pleased with Harry.

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Witchy-Althea - Thanks! Will keep an eye out for it.

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Shaye - I'll try not to make you wait too long, but unfortunately not all chapters will be this quick. You never know though!

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Serpent of Light - It's not so much chaos to do with Voldemort. Remember, it says in the books that in his first rise to power, he did not attempt to attack Hogwarts since he was too afraid of Dumbledore. There will be Voldemort/ Death Eater interaction later on in the story but the chaos is something that happens to one of the main characters and how everyone else grows as a person die to this thing. Vague I know. I don't know if people will like what I've planned, but it's important to the characters. Wild magic . it started as a way for Harry to 'see' magic. Now, it's taking a life of it's own. Let's see where it goes.

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zorro x - Yay! Another conversion! *SStar dances widly!* Seriously, there is some decent stories out there with this ship and some bad ones, I hope I'm in the former. The next question, well I think I've just answered it. Perhaps you should wonder if Peter or Lily will ever find out about Harry? Besides, what will Harry do for Christmas if they don't know? Especially since he has an extra special surprise lined up from moi! Glad you're still enjoying it.

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SPASH Panther - First one after Book Five? Really? Wow! As from the above, James, Sirius, and Remus already have. Will Peter or Lily . wait and see.

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shamanogler - I've not forgotten about the Egg! It's still incubating in the charmed box. It will appear soon, maybe in the second or third chapter? Time is moving a bit faster now but there's plenty more to happen before Christmas.

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Necromant - Thank you. I wonder about the characterisations at times, but as long as those reading the story like them, I'm happy. This chapter delves a bit more into a couple of characters' thoughts. I hope you like it. **Christmas surprise? If you manage to be the 200th reviewer, I'll tell you my Christmas surprise!** That a good enough incentive? Snape/Lily? Sorry not here. I'm still undecided about whether to reform Snape before the end of this story or not. Glad you're enjoying it too!

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whoo - Have you tried **Happily Ever After? **It's on my homepage.

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Jaded Angel8 - Two updates within days of each other! Hope you won't wait too long for the next one. Glad you enjoyed it all. What was your favourite part of the story so far?

I apologise in advance for any mistakes, spelling, grammatical or otherwise. It is all my fault since this is unbeta'd. Please review and send any helpful comments, all will be appreciated. Any flames, however, will be, in all honesty, disregarded. Thank you for reading!

**__**

SStar


	10. Confession

Comments: e-mail at sstar_luna@yahoo.co.uk or Review button below.

Rating: PG-13 for now, although that may change later. Will be **slash **later in the story. HP/?, JP/LP

Spoilers: All books

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot. All Harry Potter™ characters and settings are the sole intellectual property of JK Rowling, Warner Bros. and various others who all aren't connected to me in any way. No money is being made with this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 9: Confession

Harry rubbed with forehead in the vain hope that he would alleviate the headache he had recently developed. '_How did it come to this?_' he asked himself, glancing at the unconscious Pettigrew who lay on the hospital bed. '_I never expected him to thank me but at the very least I didn't expect him to ambush me. He really is a first class bastard_' Harry continued, his internal voice sounding more bitter as he continued. '_If only I didn't know what I do know … it would be so much easier to just hate him with a clear conscious_'

Harry nodded absently while Pomfrey fussed over him before once more checking on the smaller boy. He stared into the distance, not noticing when Pomfrey disappeared into her office. Several minutes passed by before Harry heard what seemed like several people running towards the room he stood in. He cocked his head, wondering what had happened to warrant a trip to the Hospital Wing, when the door burst open. Much to Harry's shock and surprise, it was James, Sirius, and Remus who had come through the wooden doors.

James ran into the long room before skidding to a stop. His alert hazel eyes immediately zoomed in on Peter, whose pale face was highlighted by the while linen. "What happened?" he asked between pants.

Harry looked at James, wondering how he knew that they were in the Hospital Wing. '_Gossip_', he wryly thought to himself. '_Faster than the proverbial grapevine'_. He felt a small pang in his chest as he realised how close the four boys were to one another, yet how one could break such a friendship apart. One dead, one wrongly imprisoned before disappearing behind the Veil and one an outcast from society. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Harry started to explain the events that had happened the previous half-hour that had resulted in one of the Marauders being hospitalised. 

"I was on my way to the Library like I mentioned to you earlier" Harry began. "One of the staircases changed on me so I had to take a longer route and apparently Peter was also on his way there so he decided to accompany me. Anyway, I was walking along one of the corridors when Snape and a couple of the Slytherin thugs who were with him came across us. Rosier was there, Wilkes too. Anyway, Snape saw me and started to taunt us…"

**********

__

"Look at what we've got here" a silky voice came out of the darkness. "It's the Mudblood and the Squib"

"Piss off Snape" Harry snapped back. Although he had defended the greasy haired wizard, he still did not like the younger version of Snape. 'Not that I have much sympathy for the older one either!'

"The Mudblood has some backbone it seems" Snape sneered, his black eyes glittering with malice. "Pity about Pettigrew, look at him shaking with fright. Going to piss in your trousers because there's no Potter or Black to save you?" he asked.

From the corner of his eye, Harry could see that Snape was awfully close to the mark. Peter's watery blue eyes were looking in several /different directions, trying to find a way out of a confrontation. Seeing none, Peter started to slowly move so to use Harry as a human shield. One part of him wanted to see Peter hurt, but the other part knew he had to look after the shorter boy. He knew what the right thing was … as much as it galled him, he had to protect Pettigrew - the traitor. 'Pity Snape doesn't know … there is a Potter here to defend the rat's sorry little arse'

Harry's hand slid into his pocket and found his wand. "Move along and take those goons with you" Harry demanded. The weeks spent in 1976 had ensured that he was no longer intimidated by the memories of the older Snape or by the presence of the younger version.

"Who the hell are you to tell me what to do Mudblood!" another voice snapped back, who Harry guessed to be Rosier.

"I am no Mudblood!" Harry hissed back, drawing his wand out in response to the other three Slytherins. Harry knew that he was outnumbered, especially since he believed that Peter would not be of much use if the Slytherins started cursing. "Why don't you take your bigoted, ignorant, slimy arses back to your dungeons!" Harry said, his senses on high alert. 

"You Gryffindors are all too bloody moralistic and stubborn-minded, except that excuse for a pureblood there" Snape sneered in reply, making no moves to return to the Slytherin common room. "I think we should teach you some manners on how to properly respect those who are your superiors"

Harry rolled his eyes as Rosier and Wilkes grunted their agreement. 'No wonder Snape allowed Malfoy to get away with murder! If he didn't, the greasy git would have had to admit that he himself was an arrogant, narrow-minded bastard. If he did that then he couldn't look down on the rest of us!'

"I don't see anyone here who is above you or me. I suggest that you leave us alone" Harry continued to say. "You wouldn't want to get into trouble, now would you?"

In reply, the three Slytherins drew their wands. Harry had his out in front of his, aiming it at Snape. Peter also had his short pale-coloured wand held out in front of him, but his hand trembled so much that Harry hoped that he would not be hit by a badly aimed spell from his fellow Gryffindor. Harry and Snape eyed each other warily waiting for the first movement, which eventually came from the Slytherins.

"Stupefy" shouted Wilkes, aiming for Harry. Harry, anticipating this, fell to the ground and rolled over while the red jet of light flew harmlessly over his head. "Peter, get down!" he shouted, hoping the shorter boy did not get hit by the spell.

From his current position, Harry sent a spell at Wilkes' legs. "Tarantallegra" he cried before getting to his feet. He glanced at the Slytherin with grim satisfaction in his eyes as Wilkes started to dance uncontrollably, dropping his wand in the process.

Harry quickly scanned the corridor for Peter to see how he was faring. Unfortunately, for both Harry and Peter, he was lying on the stone floor, unconscious. There was a nasty gash on his forehead, which was slowly oozing blood. From Harry's perspective, Peter had looked to have been hit with an unknown curse before falling into a statue and hitting his head. 

While Harry was distracted, uncharacteristically worrying about the boy who would betray his parents and friends in a few years' time, Rosier had managed to creep up behind him. Rather than relying upon magic, the larger Slytherin grabbed Harry's arms and yanked them behind his back. Suddenly Harry's hair was grabbed and pulled, causing his head to tilt to face the ceiling, exposing his throat. Harry cursed himself for allowing himself to get distracted by Peter's injuries and thus finding himself in such a vulnerable position.

Snape pointed his wand at Wilkes, ending the spell that Harry had managed to send at him. Snape then told the other Slytherin to keep an eye out for any wandering students or Professors. Harry's green eyes watched warily as a smirking Snape slowly approached him. Harry's mouth dried as Snape held the business end of his wand against the hollow at the base of his throat.

"You know Mudblood" Snape started to say in a silky tone. "For a new student, you've made a small name for yourself, hanging around with Potter, Black, and their merry group of bootlickers. Word is that you were responsible for some of the pranks on the moronic Hufflepuffs and there are rumours that these tongue things come from you as well"

Harry recalled the amusing scenes that had occurred when the Slytherins encountered Fred and George's Ton-Tongue Twisters and successfully kept the smile off his face. Instead, Harry strained against Rosier, unsuccessfully trying to break free. Nor could he defend himself or his father since he could not talk due to the wand jabbing into his windpipe. "Then you had the nerve to protect me from your idiotic Gryffindor housemates. I don't need protection, especially not from a Mudblood like you!" he spat out.

'No' Harry thought fiercely to himself. 'You need two other people to attack me. Very honourable … like the snake that you are'

Snape nodded at Rosier, who tightened his hold on Harry, before transferring his wand to his other hand. He moved in close to Harry, close enough for Harry to see the thin capillaries in his eyes. To Harry's disgust and distress, Snape ran his long fingers down his throat, before encircling his neck, his palm laying over the necklace that Harry always wore. "Forgetting all that … you bear a remarkable resemblance to Potter" he whispered. "Extremely unusual for a Mudblood. Oh, but I did hear you. You claim not to be one but I assure you that Granger is not a pure-blood family name"

'No, it's the name of one of the brightest witches who will attend Hogwarts you bastard' Harry thought viciously, struggling once more to break free of Rosiers' grip. 

"I know about you being adopted … so who were your real parents?" Snape asked, releasing the pressure around his throat slightly. "If they were from a pure-blooded family, maybe you should consider the error of your ways? Associating with muggle-lovers and blood-traitors will do nothing for your reputation and standing within certain communities"

"Fuck you!" Harry retorted, emerald eyes flashing with anger.

"Language Granger. Wouldn't want certain people hear you use language like that. You never know where you might end up"

Harry grunted as the pressure around his throat was increased once more. 

"Or perhaps Potter Senior isn't the upstanding member of society he is proclaimed to be. Perhaps your mother whored herself out and you're the bastard son of that union?" Snape taunted in his silky sneer.

Harry saw red. A rage that he had only experienced once or twice in his life flowed through his veins. 'How dare that bastard speak of my parents in this way!' pounded in his mind. His body vibrated with anger, tension flowing between the Slytherins and himself. In his anger, Harry did not notice that the dragons' tooth had been steadily growing warmer where it lay upon his skin. He gritted his teeth and tensed his limb in preparation to lash out at Snape. 

What Harry had not realised was that although the dragons' tooth only felt warm against his skin, it was burning into Snape's palm. Before Harry could act, a bright emerald coloured glow surrounded him, Snape, and Rosier, as well as Wilkes who had been standing a few feet away. 

Snape screamed in pain, wrenching his hand away from Harry's throat. At the same time, Rosier released him from his tight grasp. A warm soothing feeling flowed through Harry and the tense feeling in his wrists and neck melted away. Meanwhile, the three Slytherins had fallen to their knees, gritting their teeth in pain.

Harry instantly moved to stand in front of the unconscious Peter, hiding the teenager from view, and aimed his wand at the three kneeling Slytherins. Wilkes was the first to recover. He looked up at Harry, confusion evident in his expression. Rosier and finally Snape got to their feet a moment later. Looking closer, Harry could see that all three had a faint glazed look in their eyes … reminding him of the farmer during the Quidditch World Cup. Somehow, the three Slytherins' memories had been altered, thought not by any of Harry's conscious actions. 

"Get out of here" Harry harshly demanded of the three shaky teenagers, successfully hiding his own confusion at the events that had just occurred. Fortunately for Harry, the three confused Slytherins heeded his words and quickly moved away from Harry.

Harry glared after the three departing Slytherins until they disappeared from view. He moved his gaze to the unconscious boy who lay on the stone floor. He nudged Peter will his right toe, frowning at him. 'I suppose you didn't move fast enough, rat! I can't say I'm sad to see you like this. Merlin only knows how I would have loved to see you like this back in my own time. Then perhaps Sirius would have been free to show himself in public and he wouldn't have died…' Harry faltered for a moment as he blinked back a few tears that threatened to fall. 'Still, I'm a better human being than you could ever hope to be. Maybe it's because my father once believed in you … whatever it is, I tried to save you from Snape and his goons. Pity you're too pathetic to have taken advantage of the chance'

With a sigh, Harry flicked his wand and muttered "Mobilicorpus". The limp body rose into the air as if dangling from invisible strings and Harry slowly made his way to the Hospital Wing so that Pomfrey could deal with Pettigrew.

**********

"Bloody Hell" Remus swore under his breath drawing an amused look from Harry. "What? I'm allowed to swear!"

Sirius interrupted any reply Harry could have made to Remus' declaration. "I am going to punch that greasy git!"

Harry's anxiety grew as James nodded in agreement. "No!" he exclaimed loudly in the quiet room. Looking around the room sheepishly, Harry continued to speak in a lower voice. "No. For starters, you'll only end up getting yourself into more trouble. Secondly, I very much doubt that those three even remember what happened. I think they were obliviated"

"What do you mean obliviated? Who did that?" James questioned.

Harry unconsciously covered the necklace that he always wore, which had returned to its normal temperature. "I think … I think that it might have been me" he said.

"How did you do that? We won't learn that spell until later in the course" Remus asked.

"I don't think I did it" Harry replied. "At least not consciously"

"I still say we give Snivellus a good piece of our mind" Sirius persisted. There was a gleam in his blue eyes, more than anger, but not quite jealousy.

Harry sent a scolding look towards the angry teenager and laid a hand on his arm. "Sirius, don't. There's no reason to get a detention for hexing Snape over this. Peter will be okay in a couple of days, which will give you and the rest of us plenty of time to come up with some sort of subtle revenge. Punching him, as satisfying as that sounds, is more than likely going to reflect badly on you"

Sirius calmed down slightly as Harry talked to him, but he would not forget. Harry knew that at some later time, Snape and the others would be getting some payback, Sirius style, and he could not muster the effort to feel sorry for the Slytherins. Remus sent a small approving nod at Harry while James' hazel eyes sparkled with suppressed mirth. 

Unfortunately, Harry's day was about to take a turn for the worst.

James turned to face Harry, his earlier amusement forgotten. "Harry? We know who you are" he stated in a quiet tone.

"I'm sorry?" Harry replied, frown lines forming on his forehead. He feigned ignorance but internally alarm bells were ringing. 

"We _know_ you who you are" James repeated.

"We know your name isn't Harry Granger" Remus clarified.

The blood drained from Harry's face, a fact that did not go unnoticed by the other three boys. Harry looked at James, whose thin face reflected his confusion and curiosity. On the other hand, Harry could not discern what Sirius was thinking or feeling. The aristocratic tanned face was an impressive mask of impassiveness. For a brief moment, Harry had the distinct impression that he may have hurt the blue eyed wizard, but the final member of the Marauders caught his attention. Remus had shifted from one foot to the other and in doing so, brought the Marauders' Map into Harry's line of sight.

If it was at all possible, Harry became paler. "The Map!" he exclaimed softly. "I'd forgotten about that. I guess that's how you found out." Harry slowly lifted his eyes to meet that of the brown-haired wizard, but it was not Remus who answered.

"You know about the Map?" James questioned, his eyebrows raised in shock. "How the hell can you know about that. Only Peter and the three of us know about the Map. Have you been looking through our stuff? Who the hell are you? Are you a cousin or something?" James finished, his voice raised to a shout at the end.

"James!" Remus chastised. "We don't need to attract any unwanted attention. Quiet down, Harry will explain in due time, that is, if you give him the chance"

James quelled under the stern look from the Gryffindor Prefect. Remus took the opportunity to continue to speak. "Apparently, there was a masking spell on your trunk and these two were practising the revealing charm"

"I just thought we'd accidentally charmed your trunk so I didn't think twice about using the spell on the trunk" Sirius continued.

"It said '_Harry Potter_'. Now I don't profess to know everything about my family, but we're not a very large one and I've never heard of a Harry Potter and especially one who's the same age as me. Who are you and why did you hide your real name. Why pretend your surname is Granger and the story about being adopted by muggles?" James finished.

Harry stared at the three Gryffindors. '_Oh my god! I am in so much deep shit!_' he swore. '_How can they have found out so soon. How did they break that charm Dumbledore put on my trunk? More importantly, what the hell am I supposed to tell them? I don't really want to ask Dumbledore for advice … perhaps McGonagall would be a better option? But then I doubt these three would believe me or trust me again. What would Hermione and Ron do? Scratch that, those two won't help. What about Remus and Tonks … Tonks would probably say act first, question later. Remus … well Remus told them about his being a werewolf after they confronted him with their suspicions. He trusted them enough to tell them the truth and they stuck with him. However, this isn't quite the same. I can't forget the fact that I'm not supposed to change time and if I answer their questions, they'll only have more later. Besides, I can't tell them about Pettigrew, or have them tell Pettigrew about me. Damn!'_

"Harry?" Remus asked.

Harry realised that he had been silent for a few minutes, drawing worried and concerned looks from the other three boys. With an uncertain smile, Harry finally spoke. "Not here. Follow me" he said before hurrying out of the Hospital Wing.

**********

Harry settled himself into the couch that he had created. He saw the curious looks the three Marauders had shared as they entered the Room of Requirement. Harry had wished for a comfortable room, similar to the Gryffindor common room, for the conversation that lay ahead.

"This room. I've been here before, but it didn't look like this before. What was it … a broom cupboard?" Sirius asked out loud.

"You're right. Filch chased us down this corridor in Third Year and we hid out here. What is this room?"

Taking the opportunity to delay the upcoming conversation and confession, Harry answered the question. "It's called the Room of Requirement. A special magical room that will become anything you want it to be. You have to walk outside of the door three times, thinking about what you want and it'll be in there when you walk in"

"Wow!" Sirius whispered. "Can you imagine what we could do with that. Anything you want…"

"That's very interesting. Really it is, but we have much more important things to discuss" James said from his seat next to Remus. 

Harry bit his lower lip in apprehension. "Firstly, I need to say something. I'll try to answer your questions, but I can't answer all of them. I promise not to lie but if I say I can't tell you, you'll have to trust me on that. The truth affects more than just me."

"Agreed" James finally replied after staring thoughtfully at Harry for several tense moments. "Are you really Harry Potter?"

"The Map isn't lying. I really am Harry Potter"

"I don't know of a Harry Potter though. What relation to me are you?" James continued.

"Long lost identical forgotten-from-the-face-of-the-Earth twin brother?" Sirius suggested.

James rolled his eyes while Harry shook his head.

"Cousin?" Sirius asked.

"No"

Sirius looked lost for a moment before suddenly suggesting "Son?"

Harry blushed. Strangely enough, he could not meet the eyes of the three Gryffindors for a long moment. '_So much for the vaunted Gryffindor courage. Bloody brilliant time for it to abandon me_' he thought to himself. 

Slowly Harry raised his emerald eyes. James had paled upon hearing the news while Sirius and Remus stared between the two Potters. Harry thought he could detect a small spark of realisation in Remus' eyes, but Sirius seemed dumbstruck yet also worried about the news.

"M-my son?" James questioned.

"Yes" Harry replied, somewhat nervously.

James' mouth flapped like a fish for several seconds before he finally spoke again. "I can see the resemblance," he said slowly. "It-Its kind of very obvious actually, come to think about it. I don't know why I never saw it before. I mean, people have asked whether we were brothers, but … my _son_! Who's the mother?"

"Do you really want to know?"

James thought about what the answer would mean for a moment before finally answering. "You know, I really don't"

"If you are James' son, obviously you must have come from the future" Remus theorised. "If so, when?" Remus asked, leaning forward slightly.

"Uh … I'm not really sure I should say" Harry replied.

"You may as well" Remus responded reasonably. "We already know you're from the future and we can probably guess a fair amount of whatever you tell us … or won't for that matter"

Harry still looked uncertain but he trusted Remus' implicitly, especially considering the previous summers' events. "I guess" Harry finally admitted. "I can't see how it can affect anything really. It was September 1996 when I left"

Sirius looked thoughtful for a moment. "You're what … sixteen then? That would mean that you were born in 1980?"

"I'm going to be a dad in _four _years time?" James shouted, jumping up from his seat. "I don't even have a girlfriend yet!"

"Well you've got the living proof in front of you there James" Remus replied dryly. "Why don't you sit down. What will happen will happen, there's no point worry over it"

Harry suppressed a smile at Remus' gentle reprimand, remembering with fondness his third year at Hogwarts. That drew his thoughts back to Sirius, whom he had met for the first time that year. In such a short amount of time, Sirius had become a very important figure in his life. It was hard for Harry to accept that he would have to return to a time without Sirius, especially since he had been so protective over his godfather, even to the extent of hurting him for his own safety. '_And look where that got me_' he thought bitterly. 

Harry let his gaze settle on the sapphire-eyed wizard, who seemed to be mulling over the recent revelations about Harry's identity. '_He should never have gone to Azkaban. In a perfect world, James and Lily would still be alive, but nothing is ever perfect around me. In a fair world, Sirius would have been free, perhaps with a careers as a successful Auror … with a wife or a lover and maybe even children. He should have been happy, not wrongly imprisoned and hated_' Harry mused. 

For a moment, Harry allowed himself to imagine the kind of life Sirius could have had, who Sirius would have loved. There was a whole host of people at Hogwarts, girls and boys alike, who had their eyes on Sirius. Despite his family's dark reputation and his own maverick behaviour, Sirius' handsome looks and popularity had ensured that he was a highly sought after wizard with a long list of willing dates.

**********

__

"Oh I'm stuffed" Harry exclaimed as he fell onto the plush red sofa in the corner of Gryffindor Tower by the roaring fireplace. 

"I agree" Remus replied. "The House Elves are absolutely wonderful!" 

"It's a good thing I don't have to go to Quidditch practice. If I had to fly tonight, I might have thrown up"

"Never a good thing"

"Nope. Never know who it might hit"

"Depends" Remus replied with a wicked glint in his amber eyes. "Could be worth it to se the expression on certain people's faces!"

"Remus!" Harry cried. "I didn't think you had it in you to be that malicious!"

"I'm not really," he admitted. "More than likely I'd feel terribly guilty afterwards unlike those other two"

"Are they really that bad?"

"I suppose it depends on where you're coming from" Remus said thoughtfully. "The Professor's are torn between exasperation and amusement. Those two do like to put on an act, even though they're likely to get into some kind of trouble"

"Sort of a way to lighten the tension" Harry suggested.

"Exactly. Sometimes the atmosphere's so suffocating, especially in the mornings. It's like a black cloud hanging over everyone for the remainder of the day … well most of the students" Remus explained, the 'except most of the Slytherins' remaining unvoiced.

Harry shook his head in confusion. He looked over his glasses, the ones that the older Remus had suggested he buy, and raised a dark eyebrow in question.

Remus looked confused for a moment before realisation graced his face. "Mornings … when the post usually arrives. Especially the Daily Prophet"

Harry wrinkled his nose as he remembered the articles the Daily Prophet had printed about him the previous year. Taking a calming breath, Harry started to speak. "News about…"

"You-Know-Who and his henchmen"

"Ah" Harry exclaimed softly. 'And I was just beginning to forget about him'

"There are rumours about who's allied with the Dark Lord" Remus continued. "They've been named Death Eaters … what a truly disgusting name!"

Harry felt slightly uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation yet could not think of another subject that would not arouse any suspicion in the observant werewolf. "But it is just a name" Harry said reasonably. He examined Remus for a few seconds as he wondered whether to continue along the same thread of conversation. Finally, he decided to trust the boy who would one day support him. "Just like You-Know-Who is really Voldemort," he said slowly. Harry waited for Remus' reaction to his statement.

To his credit, Remus gave no outwardly reaction except for the slight widening of his eyes. "Aren't you afraid to say the Dark Lord's name?"

"No" Harry replied. "It's just a name. A wise man once told me that fear of a name increases the fear of the thing itself. No … the name Voldemort doesn't scare me anymore," he said trailing off into silence.

Harry could feel Remus' eyes on him yet he felt strangely embarrassed and could not meet his eyes. In an attempt to distract his friend, Harry started to speak again. "Any ideas on who these so called Death Eaters are?"

Remus leaned back until he was sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with Harry. "I have no idea about how many there are but I know several of Sirius' relatives are likely to be members" Remus replied.

Harry grimaced. "Don't let Sirius hear you say that." Remus winced in reply and looked around the common room for the tall, handsome wizard as Harry chuckled quietly next to him.

Harry thoughts strayed to two of the three Blacks currently attending Hogwarts. Harry had NEWT level Potions, DADA, and Charms with Sirius' cousin, Narcissa … the future Mrs Malfoy. Luckily for Harry, Sirius, and the others, Narcissa seemed inclined to ignore Sirius, a gesture that Sirius reciprocated rather than actively antagonise him. That was not to say that they didn't insult one another when the opportunity arose. Narcissa's favourite remarks would include referring to Sirius' mother, something that would almost be guaranteed to put Sirius into a bad mood for the remainder of the lesson.

Regulus Black, on the other hand, was a fourth year Slytherin. Harry had only seen him across the Great Hall during meals and in the corridors as they walked from lesson to lesson. Remus had pointed the younger boy out one morning and Harry had been struck by the resemblance to his older brother, yet how different they looked at the same time. Regulus had also inherited the glossy black hair and tanned complexion and could have been considered almost as good-looking as his older brother. 

However, Regulus did not have the confidence that his older brother exuded with every step. Harry supposed that Regulus allowed his mother's thoughts and opinions to influence him in a way that Sirius had openly rejected. Maybe it was just because Harry knew the ultimate decisions and fate of Sirius' younger brother or maybe it was because he was closer to Sirius, but Harry felt that Regulus was just a pale and perhaps even, unworthy imitation of Sirius.

Harry considered it advantageous for his mental well being that Bellatrix Black was no longer attending Hogwarts. It appeared that Andromoda and Bellatrix were several years out of school. In fact, Sirius' favourite cousin had already married Ted Tonks, a muggleborn, and they had a little girl. Harry had suppressed a snort of amusement as he imagined the five year old Nymphadora Tonks. He imagined that it was a full-time job keeping Tonks out of trouble, considering her clumsy behaviour. That and the likelihood that both Andromoda and her husband were rather proficient at repairing and cleaning charms.

Bellatrix on the other hand, had apparently married Rodolphus Lestrange. Harry suspected that if she had been at Hogwarts in this year, he would have been hard pressed not to have hexed her stupid, considering all the lives that she had ruined. Harry pushed away the memories of casting the Cruciatus curse on Bellatrix Lestrange. It had taken many conversations for Harry to come to terms with the hatred he felt towards her and the extent to which he would and could express it. If not for the understanding support of the wizard sitting next to him and empathy of his Big Sis, Harry could have fallen into a deeper state of depression. 

Remus, who had decided to break the comfortable silence that had fallen over them, brought Harry out of his wandering thoughts. "Looks like one of Sirius' many admirers may try his luck today"

Harry nodded absently. Suddenly he whipped his head around to stare at the smiling werewolf as the meaning of his words sunk in. "**His **luck?"

"Yes" Remus replied, frowning faintly. "Do you have a problem with it?"

Harry shook his head violently. "No, never really thought about it much to be honest. My … adoptive father" Harry said, somehow successfully suppressing the disgust in his tone at having to refer to Uncle Vernon as a father figure. "Didn't like those kind of people … homosexuals, gays. I'm of the opinion that whatever he didn't like can't have been all that bad"

"What about Sirius?"

"I have to say, it didn't occur to me that he was, you know … gay" Harry replied slowly. "But then I never thought to look at it like that or to ask him. It doesn't bother me though." With a soft smile Harry continued, "He's still the same old Sirius"

"Bisexual"

"Huh?"

"Sirius. He's got over half of the witches and a sizeable amount of wizards vying for his attentions" Remus answered.

"So who has he gone out with?" Harry asked.

Remus scratched his head. "Umm … honestly? I can't really remember them all. A couple of Ravenclaw girls and one guy, several Hufflepuffs, and a fair few of the Gryffindors too. They've never lasted long though." Remus shrugged. "No more than two or three weeks at the most. Personally, I think he's looking for something and it's been missing in everyone he's gone out with. I've no idea if he'll find it though or what it is that he's looking for"

'He really deserves it, more than most' Harry mused. 'I wonder what it is that Sirius is searching for. Mind you, I always did picture him as a womaniser of sorts … I suppose it is true in a sense.' Harry cocked an eyebrow at the amber-eyed wizard sitting next to him. "What about you Remus? Anyone interesting you?"

"I doubt it" Remus replied with a sad smile. "I wouldn't want anyone to have to put up with me"

Harry was appalled at Remus' low opinion of himself. "Why the hell not?" Harry demanded. "You're a great person … intelligent, considerate and many other nice things. You'd be a great catch!"

Harry saw the pain in those strange amber eyes before it was masked and he realised that it was the wolf within that caused Remus to deny himself love. "We'll see" Remus replied, looking at Sirius instead of meeting Harry's eyes.

Harry followed Remus' gaze. Sirius had stood up and was leaning against the wall, next to a large portrait, listening to the blonde haired boy. His face was open and friendly but his blue eyes remained unreadable. Harry eyed the teenager talking to Sirius. "Remus? Remind me … who is that talking to Sirius?" Harry asked. 

Remus started to straighten his robes. "That's Charles Tanner, seventh year"

"The same one who tried out for the Beater position?"

"Yes. James decided to go with Holmes since he's in the fourth year. More time to mature and he'll still be in the team next year. I'm just going to get that book on Enchantments, be right back" Remus replied before getting up and walking towards the staircase leading to the boys' dorms.

Harry smiled at Remus before turning his attention back to Sirius. Tanner was still smiling and laughing, but he had not noticed that Sirius had started to look slightly uncomfortable. Harry cocked his head as Sirius looked over Tanner's head, right at him. Harry, feeling very relaxed as he relaxed into his seat, smiled and arched his eyebrow in question. 'I wonder if Tanner is actually asking him out? More interestingly, will Sirius accept?' Harry mused as he maintained his eye contact with the blue eyed wizard. 'Strange though … I would have expected Sirius to be going out with someone by now but he's still single. The things you learn'

Harry allowed the chatter of the Gryffindor students to become a soothing hum in the background as he watched the interaction between Sirius and the Seventh year. Tanner lay his hand on Sirius' arm in an attempt to regain his wandering attention, startling the Gryffindor Beater and causing Harry to chuckle under his breath. Sirius started to talk to Tanner, his arms gesticulating as he spoke. Harry watched with a great deal of curiosity as the expression on Tanner's face changed. There was hopefulness to confusion to disappointment, from which Harry surmised that Sirius had gently refused the older student's offer. 

Harry was impressed by the manner in which Sirius had handled the entire conversation. 'That would have been useful to know last year' Harry thought. 'Perhaps the whole thing with Cho wouldn't have been quite so awkward. Thank Merlin I got over her … it was just strange and pretty much doomed from the start!' Harry snorted softly. 'Should have guessed that from the beginning though … I am the bloody Boy-Who-Lived. If all the people interested in me romantically don't want me for my fame - or infamy as the case may have been - or money … then I'm a bloody Skrewt!'

Harry was brought out of his increasingly depressing thoughts by a shout. "Sirius!" James yelled as he approached his best friend. Harry quickly scanned the common room and noticed that Charles Tanner had sat down at one of the study tables. As James and Sirius started to walk towards where he was sitting, Harry noticed several eyes following them. His emerald eyes widened in surprise as he realised that several girls were looking at Tanner with smirks playing around their mouths before turning to stare at Sirius with a predatory look in their eyes. An involuntary shiver ran down Harry's spine. 'Merlin help anyone who ends up going out with Sirius if they've got to put up with that!'

"Harry!" James shouted. "Coming up?" he asked, nodding towards the staircase. Harry noted that Remus had not yet returned and so stood up to join James and Sirius, intending on carrying on his conversation with the werewolf in the sixth year dorms.

**********

Harry looked at the three teenagers who seemed to be struggling to understand the information that had been revealed. A small part of Harry thought that Dumbledore would probably not have approved of his decisions and actions, but Harry felt that his first loyalty lay with those who had and would give their lives for him, not someone who manipulated people and situations to serve the greater good. 

Sirius seemed to be having a mental argument judging by the expressions that flew across his face. Finally, his eyes focussed upon Harry. "So how much of your story about being adopted is true?"

Harry winced. He had hoped that they would not ask him about this. He had no intention whatsoever of mentioning the Dursleys or his childhood, besides which, saying so would infer that James and Lily had died and would further cause more unwanted and unanswerable questions. "I can tell you that it was not the complete truth nor is it a total fabrication, but I can't answer your question. It'll cause you to ask questions that I can't answer. You just have to trust me" Harry pleaded. He looked into Sirius' eyes and hoped the other boy would understand the sincerity of his words. Luckily, whatever Sirius saw in his eyes seemed to satisfy the teenager enough not to question Harry further and Harry let out a quiet sigh of relief. 

"Why are you here?" Remus asked. "Or rather, how did you get to here?" he clarified.

"I arrived in this time by some sort of a freak accident involving a portkey and I can't go back quite yet. The Headmaster and some of the Professors know about my situation and they're trying to find a way for me to get back into my proper time. Unfortunately, between school, the war, and whatever else they're doing, there's little time left to deal with my problem. They obviously haven't come up with anything yet so I'm afraid you're stuck with me for a while. I'm to stay here at Hogwarts and carry on with my NEWTs until I can return back to my own time"

Harry took a deep breath. "Look. I know this must be a huge shock to you. It certainly was for me when I first arrived, but one thing you _have _to remember is that you _cannot _tell anyone about me and when I'm from and you can't talk about it where other people can hear you. Something I'm sure you can manage given the Map" Harry said. "I think I should give you three some time to absorb what I've just told you. Think about it. I'm going to take a walk and I'll meet you back in the Tower afterwards" Harry said before standing up and walking towards the door. 

Inside, Harry was a mass of nerves. Worry, pain, hope, and anticipation swirled within him. He could not begin to put words to the many questions and worries that plagued him. He turned back to look at James, Sirius, and Remus one last time before walking out of the Room of Requirement, a destination already in mind. A single thought remained in Harry's mind. '_What do they think of me now? Can they accept me? Will they believe me?_'

Harry's feet had unconsciously taken him to his destination and before he knew it, he was standing in front of the wooden door, wondering why of all people he had decided to come here. He shrugged. '_No matter worrying about it now_' he thought. Instead, Harry raised his fist and knocked twice.

A moment later, a distinct "Come in" was heard through the thick door and Harry entered the room.

**********

Author Notes:

Firstly, I would like to announce that I have a just got a **Livejournal**. It can be found at or accessed from my Profile page. Please have a look. I have started posting entries from **Harry Potter's Diary **and will (hopefully) be updated incredibly often. At least once every few days if not more often. It's won't be up on ffnet for a while though. I would really love some feedback on how it is so far and should I continue.

In addition, I will also be posting **Missing Scenes **from **Turn Back Time **on my Livejournal. The first one should be up and all future notes about my progress in my stories and missing scenes and other bits and pieces will be there first. Please read and leave comments/reviews. All will be appreciated and taken into consideration when edited for ffnet. The **Missing Scenes **entries will probably work into a larger piece of **Turn Back Time **at some later unspecified time. If there are enough people visiting my Livejournal, I may post some spoilers or even small bits of the upcoming chapters of **Turn Back Time **and **Happily Ever After?**

Secondly, a huge thanks to all those who took the time out to read and review the last chapter/story. Hello to all those who are new to **Turn Back Time **and I hope you are enjoying it so far. I asked for reviews and got an incredible 44! 

So, if I may be so presumptuous … can I ask if you wonderful, fantastic readers will review. I would love to get another 35 reviews by the next time I update. That would hit me at about 375 reviews. Don't forget to check my Livejournal for updates as to how I'm progressing.

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Warning: The following review responses contain hints and spoilers for future plot points and chapters! HUGE thanks to everyone who took time out to read and review the last chapter of this story, you have my gratitude! These include **Lady Pyra, Musicstarlover, scarletstargirl. Lady of Hogwarts, gaul1, an, lilypotter, Alynna Lis Eachann, Jazzylady, Jedi Sapphire, CutieCherry, Mikito, Dirty Munchkin, Lady Phoenix Slytherin, liveandletlive, Phoenix, Marauders-Lover, Slytherin Princess, penny, bailyy, Luna Potter/Took and, LadyCandlelight.**

pameruh qui aime malfoy - There was a kiss at the end of chapter Eight. Honest ... it's right at the end. You've got the ship right. I have been in more of a writing mode (two applications and several diary entries, a chapter and a missing scene!) Wonder how long it will last? Gal you found the story and are enjoying it.

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Necromant - You were only a few off. I am inclined to tell you since you've been a fantastic reviewer and have been pondering about it for ages. Have a couple of Diary entries to do first but will possibly email you re: spoilers after. Peter's pretty much going to go as expected, but I'm thinking of a missing scene to try and explain him a bit more. Will have to see. The quote ... it's my being sarcastic and Remus being ironic without realising. PS. I love long reviews!

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Locolisa - Answers to your first question is in this chapter. As regarding your worry, who knows what Harry's presence will do? Maybe it changes ... but maybe it stays the same. You'll have to wait and see but it'll become obvious come spring.

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walkin' - I just had to say that your review made me laugh. Short, sweet, and to the point!

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SPASH Panther - I wanted something more original than looking in the Map. Will Peter find out ... would you want him to know the truth?

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zorro x - Thanks. I love to hate Peter too.

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Calen - Sorry you feel that way but it will be slash. One of my aims is to show this ship can be done tastefully and hopefully to open people's minds.

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Darcy - The Egg has not been forgotten. It's still incubating.

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Redmeadow - Glad you decided to give it a go. Harry and Remus have an interesting relationship, one I have found that I love to write. I doubt Harry would touch Snape voluntarily after this chapter, don't you?

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Romm - Too right!

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A-Brighter-Dawn - It's one of the two! Don't you hate me right now? LOL

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FireFaerie23 - Does the above chapter answer your question? Sorry but I hope you like where this one will go. Besides, we've not seen the last of Snape by any means.

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Jaded Angel8 - *blush* Thanks. I do read them all and reply to all questions and emails (I hope!) I find that feedback helps me improve and think of things I've missed. I'm glad you like the story although it's not your ship, you're a wonderfully open-minded reviewer.

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Sirius-Hotness - Glad that you liked it and you think that the story is great. Hope you keep on enjoying it!

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Richan MMIII - Whoppee! Seriously, I really like Gifts and AGFT. I understand ... glad you like it though. Excuses? Sounds like a reasonable explanation *coughcough* 

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Serpent of Light - I am inclining there since he pretty much is reformed anyway, but unfortunately Snape will get a whole lot worse before he improves! I love Remus too but he had his suspicions. Very observant is our resident werewolf.

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xMadgirlx - Hope you enjoyed the rest of the story as well.

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Larissa - Harry can't stay and ive through (Quantum physics rules apply) but he won't be leaving alone. Make of that what you will but it's not a predictable ending (I hope) and the surprise at Christmas will be involved as well. Snape's reaction is in the above chapter. Is all happening now.

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Dadairo - Firstly, thank you so much for the wonderfully long review. Kudos! Quidditch is a few chapters away, there are some other things to come first. James, Remus, and Sirius will find out bits and bobs in drips and drabs, but at some point, they'll discover everything, but not for an extremely long time. I haven't set those ideas in stone and can't easily change as I write. Everyone hates Peter, including me, but as I write more and more of him, I start feeling incredibly sorry for him. Still hate him though. 

Will Harry become an Animagus - more than likely I guess. I decided on the animal a long while ago. Lily and James are often portrayed as hating one another and James and Sirius are stereotyped incredibly badly, especially post-OotP but I have my own opinions that will develop as the story progresses. You'll probably see more Lily/James in my Missing Scenes on my Livejournal. 

I won't talk about lessons here but it'll keep on cropping up in the plot. Harry is also quite gifted in Charms if you read the books carefully, so it's just not only flying and DADA. I believe that Harry doesn't fulfil his true potential partly due to the influence/behaviour of Hermione and Ron and the expectations of the Wizarding world as their saviour, partly die to Voldemort worries/ thinking he could end up like him and partly due to his childhood with the Dursleys. You can only be told so many time that you are worthless before you start believing it, even unconsciously. In 1976, Harry doesn't have many of those constraints and with MPP, Lily and Snape (as much as Harry would hate to admit it) who are some of the cleverest wizards/witches to attend Hogwarts in recent times, he can only flourish and achieve what I think is his true potential. Besides, after learning the nuances of magic, power will be a huge factor, something that Harry has more of than most others. I liked writing the James/Sirius talk, hopefully will be one of these types of things. Will Sirius say anything ... in a little while. They saw his real name on the trunk that Moody gave to Harry. Moody engraved Harry's name on it. Thanks for the comments!

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LadyLilyPotter - Yes it is that ship. Don't get all depressed just yet. Lots of twists and turns to come.

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Mrs Sniffy - They have now.

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Alunarae - I haven't decided yet, I want to delve into it more in greater depth and I may do that in the Missing Scenes which will be on my Livejournal.

I apologise in advance for any mistakes, spelling, grammatical or otherwise. It is all my fault since this is unbeta'd. Please review and send any helpful comments, all will be appreciated. Any flames, however, will be, in all honesty, disregarded. Thank you for reading!

**__**

SStar


	11. Missing Scene 1: Gift with New Chapter

Comments: e-mail at sstar_luna@yahoo.co.uk or Review button below.

Rating: PG-13 for now, although that may change later. Will be **slash **later in the story. HP/?, JP/LP

Spoilers: All books

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot. All Harry Potter™ characters and settings are the sole intellectual property of JK Rowling, Warner Bros. and various others who all aren't connected to me in any way. No money is being made with this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

Missing Series Scene 1

Harry curled up in one of the two armchairs in his room. He had managed to persuade Remus to move it out of the study and into his bedroom. With the exception of Sirius' bedroom whom no-one could bring themselves to tidy up, it was the only piece of furniture in the entire house that bore the scarlet red of Gryffindor House. The wood was a highly polished black ebony and it complimented the grandiose nature of the chair.

What Harry liked best about this particular chair was the slight but distinct scent of Sirius that clung to the fabric. When he closed his eyes, it almost felt as though Sirius was there in the room with him. From still air, the sound of a bark-like laugh and deep chuckles caressed him and blue eyes glinting like sapphires warmed him. However, every time Harry would open his eyes and be faced with the stark realisation that it was just a fantasy.

Harry did not bother to raise his head when his door was opened and then shut with a quiet click. "Hello Remus" he greeted.

"Harry" the werewolf returned with a hint of surprise in his voice.

"You smell"

"Pardon?" was the nonplussed reply.

"You want to know how I know it was you"

"I didn't before but now you've got my attention"

"Your footsteps"

"Footsteps?"

"The sound, speed, and the weight as it hits the floor"

"Really?"

"No. Almost no one would think about coming into my room like, only you and Tonks. Perhaps Snape but he'd much rather boil his head than voluntarily come into my room" Harry said, finally closing the book that lay hidden in his lap. He looked up at Remus, emerald eyes bright with good humour.

"You ... you..."

"Careful there Remus" Harry scolded. "Carry on like this and you'll lose the '_Professor Lupin is an articulate and educated old man!_'"

Harry laughed at the total look of incredulity that fell over the older man's face but his amusement was cut short as Remus' amber eyes narrowed.

"_Old?_" he asked dangerously.

Harry swallowed nervously. He uncurled and stood up, using the chair as a barrier between himself and Remus. "Remus! I was only joking. Of course you're not that old!"

"_Not that old?_"

Harry's eyes darted around the room, desperately looking for his invisibility cloak. "No, not old at all. I'm sorry, it was a slip of the tongue"

Remus' smile told Harry that the werewolf was only teasing him, but he was still going to pay for the comment. He watched with wary green eyes as Remus slowly made his way around the chair. In response, Harry also moved, always keeping the chair between him and a werewolf out for revenge.

"Apology accepted but you still have to pay for it," Remus said before suddenly lunging for Harry.

Fortunately for Harry, he had been prepared for Remus' move and he jumped backwards and turned. He ran for the door and wrenched it open. He looked left and right before deciding to make his way downstairs. Hopefully, Ron or Hermione, or even Mrs Weasley, would be in the kitchen and save him from a Marauder hell bent on revenge. Harry ran down the stairs, knowing that the older man was right behind him. He flew into the kitchen and ran smack into Professor McGonagall, causing both of them to fall over.

Harry was scrabbling to get back up and apologise to his Head of House, whose hat had fallen over in the collision. "Mr Potter" she scolded in her Scottish brogue. "What is the meaning of such behaviour?"

Before Harry could answer the door to the kitchen flew open once more with a bang. A second later, Harry found himself pinned to the stone floor by the bigger, heavier Remus, amber eyes glowing with amusement and a smirk on his lips.

"Ah-ha!" he shouted in victory. "Thought you'd get away that easily Harry? Now it's payback!"

With that Remus started to tickle the thin, messy-haired, Boy-Who-Lived. Harry began to laugh uncontrollably and tears started to form in the corners of his eyes. Remus was relentless in his assault and Harry's normally pale face turned red from the effort of escaping Remus' hold on him.

"Stop!" he gasped out in between laughs. "Remus!"

Remus paused his assault on the young boy, who panted heavily under him as he tried to regain his breath. "Have you learnt your lesson?"

"Yes! Yes!" Harry responded. "I won't do it again!"

"Won't do what?"

"Annoy a member of the Marauders?" Harry replied innocently.

Remus growled from deep within his throat and wriggled his fingers in a threatening way. 

Harry gulped. "Not to call you old again?"

The sound of laughter from a third person in the room drew both Remus' and Harry's attention. Blushing a deep scarlet, they finally acknowledged the amused Minerva McGonagall. "I honestly don't want to know" she said while shaking her head. "However it lovely to see both of you having some fun and hear you laughing"

Remus and Harry stared at the Deputy Headmistress, unable to respond to her comment. McGonagall just shook her head at the two. "Remus, if you'd be so kind to tell Molly that I popped in. Mr Potter" she said with a nod before gathering her robes and walking out of the kitchen.

Remus sat back and allowed Harry to sit up. They looked into the others' eye before bursting into laughter once more, which is how Neville found them a few minutes later.

**********

Author's Note:

If you've been to my **Livejournal**, you've probably seen this. However, considering the botched up chapter replacement and the incredibly long wait for _Chapter 10_, I've decided to post this as a thank you gift for all the lovely reviews. 

Please let me know what you think of this _Missing Scene_? Can you think of an event in the **Turn Back Time **universe so far that you'd like me to expand? Or perhaps an event or gap I should fill in? Please leave a review!

I apologise in advance for any mistakes, spelling, grammatical or otherwise. It is all my fault since this is unbeta'd. Please review and send any helpful comments, all will be appreciated. Any flames, however, will be, in all honesty, disregarded. Thank you for reading!

**__**

SStar


	12. Introducing the Real Harry Potter

Comments: e-mail at sstar_luna@yahoo.co.uk or Review button below.

Rating: PG-13 for now, although that may change later. Will be **slash **later in the story. HP/?, JP/LP

Spoilers: All books

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot. All Harry Potter™ characters and settings are the sole intellectual property of JK Rowling, Warner Bros. and various others who all aren't connected to me in any way. No money is being made with this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 10: Introducing the Real Harry Potter

Harry walked into the warm cosy office of Professor Minerva McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor House, Transfiguration Professor, and Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It had been easy for Harry to decide on which Professor to approach with the information that James, Sirius, and Remus had discovered his true identity. Only a handful of Professors knew of his situation and of those, Harry had only spent significant time with two: Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. 

The Headmaster, however, was someone that Harry was still not comfortable with. The events of Harry's past year still haunted him, the apparent betrayal by one that he trusted had hurt him deeply, and the summer had not been long enough to heal him of that hurt. The secrets, the manipulations, and deceptions had all compounded other problems that Harry had faced. 

'_If only Dumbledore had trusted me_' Harry thought. '_Things would have been much different. I've never been an innocent to protect, nor someone to manipulate to serve his purpose._' It did not matter that this younger version of Dumbledore had not yet committed any of those actions. Harry felt as though he could not trust the older wizard to not try and obtain more information than was safe.

Harry was not entirely sure why he had found himself walking towards McGonagall's office. Maybe it was the new knowledge that his Head of House was a friend of his paternal grandparents. Maybe it was because she had stood up for him against Umbridge. Whatever the reason was, it was McGonagall who Harry was about to confess to.

"Can I help you Mr Granger?" the severe looking Professor asked.

"Umm" Harry replied, not knowing how to explain what had happened in the past hour or so.

"Take a seat" McGonagall ordered, waving a hand at the empty chair.

Harry gingerly sat in the chair, but the uneasiness in his stomach grew with every second. Gathering the much-talked about Gryffindor courage, Harry started to talk. He explained how James, Sirius, and Remus had discovered that his real name was Harry Potter, without revealing the existence of the Map. Instead, Harry explained the concealing charm that Dumbledore had cast upon his trunk, how Sirius had discovered it and eventually countered it. He told the Transfiguration Professor how he had been confronted and what details he had already revealed, watching with a certain amount of detachment as McGonagall paled. '_Oh boy, am I in trouble_' Harry mused as he finished his explanation by telling the Professor how he had left the three Gryffindors mulling over the revelations.

When Harry had finally finished explaining the situation as it currently stood, he nervously waited for McGonagall's reaction. Raising wary green eyes, Harry noted that McGonagall seemed both surprised and understanding. 

"With those four students … three in this case … I was expecting something like this to happen, but I admit, I didn't think it would happen this soon" she murmured, perhaps more to herself than at Harry. "Well what is done is done. Thank you for informing me of this development, however I believe that you should explain this to the Headmaster instead. I shall take you to his office…"

Harry fidgeted in his seat. "Excuse me Professor" he interrupted politely. "I'd prefer not to talk to the Headmaster at this stage. It's why, in fact, I came to you rather than going to the Headmaster himself"

A faintly disapproving look crossed McGonagall's face before disappearing and Harry was reminded of her fierce loyalty to Albus Dumbledore. Harry quickly attempted to explain himself to his Head of House. "The Headmaster always seems to manage to get me to reveal things I don't want to and in this situation, that's not a good thing. I don't want to compound any mistakes I might have just made and change my future" Harry said, surprising himself with the direction of his thoughts. Of course, without Hermione's seemingly infinite knowledge, Harry had set aside a fair amount of time to read about Time-Turners and the dangers of changing time from various books in the school Library. 

McGonagall stared intensely at Harry, looking for something specific and so Harry held her gaze, though Harry made sure his mental barriers were standing strong. A few tension-laden moments later she nodded and Harry presumed that she was satisfied with what she discovered. "Well then Mr Granger … Mr Potter" she said, "What else do you wish to discuss?"

Harry let out a sigh. The previous years' events had brought home to him that he had to fundamentally change the way in which he approached situations and how he reacted. He knew that he was impulsive and his temper was so great at times that it clouded his judgement. Not only that, Harry had also realised that he sometimes lacked the ability to foresee the consequences of his actions, whatever they may be. 

It had not been easy for Harry to admit those faults to himself, in fact it had caused several arguments, but eventually Remus had been able to make him see sense. To further emphasise the impact of the recent revelations about his identity, Harry had no idea how James would react to the news. Nor could he predict the reaction of the teenage Remus and Sirius. While they displayed several characteristics that Harry could identify with their older selves, they also held an air of youthfulness and impulsiveness that had been lost in the intervening years.

Harry swallowed several times in an attempt to relax his tight throat. "I was hoping that you could help me understand what they might be thinking right now," Harry finally said. "They're sitting somewhere in the castle, doing and thinking Merlin knows what! What if they don't believe me? They might think that this is all some big joke ... or what if they start asking me a whole bunch of questions. Questions that I can't answer" Harry continued. 

In the back of his mind, Harry realised that he was starting to panic and thus beginning to ramble. "If I don't answer their questions, will they be angry? I trust them not to tell anyone about me, but what do I do if someone else finds out? Have I done the right thing by telling them? More importantly, have I changed the future by telling James that I'm his son? Will he believe me and can he continue to treat me as he did before? Before he knew who I really was. Can Sirius or Remus?"

"Mr Potter!" McGonagall snapped, stopping Harry's stream of questions. "I admit, you have got yourself into quite a situation, but there's little use in worrying about things you can no longer change. What is done is done," she said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Ignoring the juvenile behaviour that James Potter and Sirius Black quite frequently display, the two of them are reasonably open-minded and fair"

"Unless you're a Slytherin, or Snape" Harry muttered under his breath. "Though Sirius' family comes in a close second"

McGonagall raised an eyebrow, indicating that she had heard his quiet comment, causing Harry to blush in embarrassment. "_Indeed_" she said in a disapproving voice. "In any case, I don't believe you will have much trouble with them. As for their behaviour towards you, it may take some time for them to adjust to the new relationship between yourself and James. Don't expect it to be like how it was previously right away. Keep in mind that you've had more time and information to adjust to this situation that you're in, more so than James, Sirius, and Remus. As for revealing future events, I hope that you have enough resolve not to give into temptation. If they do, however, become more insistent in their desire for information, I expect you to inform me or the Headmaster"

Harry nodded, realising the truth in the Professor's answers. Though his worries did not completely disappear, they were somewhat alleviated, and the conversation with his Head of House comforted him somewhat. McGonagall peered over her glasses at him, compelling Harry to ask one more question. One that plagued him and would likely continue to do so for a long time yet. "Did I do the right thing?" Harry asked softly. "Telling James that he was my father? Telling Sirius and Remus?"

McGonagall eyes' softened and she looked at Harry with compassion. "I cannot answer that," she finally answered. "But the circumstances have been such that the relationship had to be revealed. There was no other way to satisfactorily explain everything. Obviously, you trust those three with your secret … that is something they will eventually realise to be both a great gift and a curse"

Harry nodded. It would be easier not to have to continually lie to James, Sirius, and Remus, but that led to the problem of what to do when Peter recovered. He could not allow that traitorous rat to know his secret, but he would then be faced with the problem of explaining why. It was a minefield … one wrong step and Harry's entire future could disappear.

"I believe it is quite close to curfew Mr Potter" McGonagall said, after allowing Harry to sit quietly for a few minutes. "I assume you can find your way back to Gryffindor Tower?"

"Yes Professor" Harry replied as he flashed a small smile at McGonagall. His green eyes widened slightly in surprise when she smiled back at him, before he turned and walked out of her study.

**********

Harry stood, unnoticed for the time being, at the entrance of the Sixth year dorms. He was torn between running away from James, Sirius, and Remus, and throwing up where he stood. It was a feeling like he had never experienced before. Would James, his father … accept him for who he was. 

Remus and Sirius were sitting on the werewolf's bed while James sat on the edge of Harry's. The sight of the three bent heads meant that some of the tension to leave Harry's body. '_It can't be that bad if James' is sitting on my bed. If they didn't believe me, they wouldn't be here or nowhere near my area_'

Harry took a step into the room and Remus' head shot up. The startled expression was quickly replaced with a warm look of encouragement. "Harry" he said in greeting. "Are you okay?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you three that?" Harry replied. "I did drop a small bombshell on you"

"A small bombshell?" Remus replied, arching his eyebrow.

"Okay, a rather large one" Harry admitted. He bit his lower lip as he glanced at the other two teenagers. "I guess you may have been watching me on the Map. I had to tell a Professor about this ... about you three finding out. I really wouldn't but a friend drilled it into me about the consequences of changing time and in this case, the Professor really had to know"

Sirius raised his eyes to meet Harry's own and spoke. "I can't say I really care about that all that much at the moment" 

James nodded his head in agreement. "There are other things we need to talk about first"

Harry let out a sigh. It was a better reaction than his worst case scenario but it could have gone better. Harry quickly cast a silencing spell to protect the room from any eavesdroppers and a locking charm on the doors and windows before slowly making his way to his bed, glancing at the offending trunk as he passed it, and sat down next to James.

"So" he said.

"So" James repeated.

Harry and James looked at one another uncomfortably. The boundary that Harry had unconsciously set himself had vanished. While he had thought about his father quite often, meeting and spending time with James was not immediately associated with James Potter, his father. At some point after his arrival in 1976, Harry had compartmentalised his thoughts and feelings. He most often thought of James as a friend, but now that James knew the truth, the realisation hit him that 'James his friend' and 'James his father' were one and the same. Adding to the confusion was the fact that Harry had little knowledge and experience to base James' feelings and actions upon, since he had never had the chance to grow up with his father. 

"How do you..."

"What do you..."

Harry and James glanced at one another after they both started to speak at the same time.

"After you" James said.

Harry shook his head, causing some of his hair to fall into his face. He made a mental note to get his hair cut the next time he went into Hogsmeade as he ran his hand through his hair. "No, you first" 

James shot a quick look at Harry before turning his hazel eyes to the floor. "I'm still finding it hard to believe that I'm a father ... or rather, that I will be one in only four years time. I think … I think it will take some time to accept. I mean, I'm still thinking of you as Harry Granger, but now I'm trying to think of you as my son as well. It's really strange"

Harry nodded his head. "I can imagine. It was strange enough when I first appeared, seeing you all so much younger" he said, remembering the previous summer he had spent with Remus. The lined tired face combined with the grey streaks had made him appear much older than he actually was. However, what had distressed Harry the most was the haunted and sometimes even defeated look that had lurked in the recesses of his amber eyes. 

The teenage Sirius and Remus, who sat on the bed facing him, did not have that hint of pain hidden in the recesses of their eyes. Instead, curiosity and fearlessness burned there, along with an arrogance of sorts, to prove themselves, pit themselves against the best, and come out of top. Yet, there was a constant undercurrent of playfulness and teasing, of friendship and loyalty. "So different yet at the same time familiar" he continued, mindful of the fact that he was not referring to James since he had had the opportunity to know his father. "It was strange for me too"

"How do you do it though" Remus spoke up. "How do you differentiate between us and well ... the older us"

"I can't explain" Harry replied slowly. "I won't pretend it's easy ... and sometimes I do get confused. I just guess that with all that's happened to me ... this is just one of the less stranger things that's happened to me. I guess I'm just dealing with it like with any other thing in my life. This is possibly the least life-threatening thing to have happened to me"

James' head shot up. "What do you mean?"

Sirius spoke for the first time since Harry had made his presence known. "_Life-threatening_?" he asked in a sharp voice.

"Were you hurt?" James continued. His voice had risen slightly, betraying the surprise and worry that he was feeling.

Harry paled as he realised what he had inadvertently revealed. "I ... it's not as bad as it sounds" he said nervously, "I mean, I'm still here"

"What happened?"

"It doesn't matter!"

James leapt up. "What do you mean it doesn't matter?" he shouted.

Harry was grateful that he had remembered to put of a silencing spell since it appeared that James was taking on the mantle of fatherhood quite venomously. "Like I just said ... for you, it doesn't ... it _can't _matter!"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means … it means I can't tell you. What would you do? Do you think you can change it ... can change what's happened to me? If I tell you now, it'll make everything all better? No" Harry replied, also rising to his feet. "Maybe if I told you, it would make it all better or maybe it could make it worse. I don't know. There's no way to know," he said. Harry moved back to his bed and sat down heavily. "I just don't know what to do" he repeated in a defeated tone.

Harry did not see James sit back down next to him, but when he looked at the hazel-eyed teenager, he saw that the earlier anger and indignation had disappeared. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pressured you, but I don't see the problem of you telling us what's happened to you. Strange though it may be, having only known that you're my son from the future for only a few hours, hearing that you might have ... had been hurt, possibly badly..." James trailed off.

"Not that we wouldn't have been worried if you weren't James' son either" Remus assured.

"That's good to know" Harry replied dryly, breaking the tension in the room.

"So you're not going to tell us about your past?" James asked.

"Well if it comes up. I mean there's a lot of it that's just plain boring and other bits I shouldn't tell you" Harry replied slowly

"What kind of boring things then?" James asked. "Oh, I know! Are you on your House Quidditch team? I guess you must be, but at least you can answer that"

Harry held back his smile. "Yes I am. I'm the ... was the Gryffindor Seeker, ever since first year!"

"First year?" exclaimed Sirius.

"First year!" James repeated.

"Is it me or is there an echo in here?" Remus asked aloud.

Harry grinned and could not hold back a small chuckle at the dumbfounded expressions on the two dark-haired teenagers' faces. He waved a hand in front of Sirius' blank blue eyes but jumped in his seat when Sirius' own hand whipped up to enclose his own. Emerald eyes met sapphire for a split second before Sirius looked away and released Harry's hand. Inside, Harry pushed away the hurt he felt at Sirius' actions and decided to think about why later that evening.

"How the hell did you get on the team in your first year?" James asked. "There hasn't been a first year on a Hogwarts Quidditch team for over sixty years!"

Harry shrugged. "It was an accident actually. I thought that I was about to be expelled but McGonagall took me to the Gryffindor Captain and told him that I was his new Seeker"

"Expelled for what?" Remus questioned.

"Nothing important" Harry replied. "One of the Slytherins stole a friend's Remembrall and flew off and I chased after him. It sound's a lot worse than it was, but it's the first time I've been threatened with expulsion. I'm kind of becoming used to hearing the threats now"

"Sounds like he takes after you then James" Sirius commented with a small smirk.

James rolled his eyes, but there was a glint of amusement and possibly even prides that Harry thought he recognised. He puffed his chest out. "Of course any child of mine would be a natural on a broom, I mean look at his father! He had to get his skill from someone brilliant and spectacular like me" declared James in a pompous voice.

Harry snorted. "Remember said child beat you in the Seeker tryout!"

"Seems he's got a dose of your cockiness too!" Remus exclaimed. 

Sirius and Remus could not help but laugh at the identical scowls that formed on the faces' of James and Harry. It took several minutes for Sirius and Remus to calm down since every time they stopped giggling, Harry and James would share exasperated looks, causing them to burst into laughter once more. Finally, calm was restored in the Sixth year dorm.

"So that broom you have ... what was it called again?" James started. "The Firebolt? Is that a broom from your time?"

"Yes it is" Harry said proudly. "Top of the range"

"Well you got to have the best!" James replied. "No son of mine is going to have some second rate broom. It's not like I won't be able to afford it"

Harry lowered his eyes. "Actually, Sirius bought it," he said. There was a moment of silence during which Harry raised his eyes and finally looked at James. Rather than the hurt, or even confusion, that Harry had expected, James looked almost amused. 

Harry turned his head to look at Sirius and his breath was caught in his throat. There was a level of intensity in those blue eyes that caused a shiver to run down his spine, yet Harry could not make out what Sirius was feeling.

"Spoiling him already?" James asked.

Sirius seemed to shake himself out of his thoughts. "Who wouldn't!" he replied with a grin.

James rolled his eyes at his best friends before turning to Harry with a huge grin on his face. "So can I have a go on it sometime?" he asked. "It's got to be faster than all the brooms we have? What's the broom's top speed?"

Harry smirked in reply. "0 to 150 miles an hour in ten seconds!" he said proudly.

Remus raised his eyebrows as Sirius let out a low whistle of appreciation. James on the other hand seemed to have been stunned into silence. When he finally got his voice back, he turned to look at Sirius. "You brought him _that_?"

Sirius tilted his head and shrugged. Again, Harry had the distinct impression that Sirius was behaving peculiarly but he could not quite figure out what and why.

"So apart from new brooms, what else can you tell us about the future?" Remus asked, having grown bored of the Quidditch talk.

Harry bit his lip as he thought. "Umm. Well ... like what?"

Remus shrugged. "I'm not sure. What are we doing in the future then?"

Harry debated the merits or telling them or choosing to remain silent. The problem lay in the fact that if he evaded the question he would run into more problems. Finally, Harry decided to answer the question, thankful for his Slytherin tendencies. "Well, Remus, you taught Defence Against the Dark Arts"

The two dark-haired teenagers began to snicker at the thought of one of the Marauders being a Hogwarts Professor as Harry threw a sympathetic smile at the werewolf. "Remus" Sirius managed between laughs. "Teaching?"

"Merlin. I can just see it..." James began.

"...Professor Lupin!" Sirius finished, before both started to laugh again.

Remus rolled his eyes at the childish behaviour of his friends. Ignoring them, he turned his attention to Harry. "Was I any good?"

"Any good? You're were the best Defence teacher I ever had!" Harry exclaimed. A warm feeling filled Harry as he saw the happiness in Remus' amber eyes. Harry thought back to when Remus had explained why it was so hard for him to find a job. Harry wished that wizards weren't so prejudiced, especially against people like Remus and Hagrid. "The was Quirrell who well ... safer to say he was a bad guy. Then we had Lockhart..."

Harry was interrupted by a loud shout. "_LOCKHART_?" Sirius exclaimed. It seemed the shock of the news had caused Sirius to forget whatever it was that had been troubling him. "What is _that idiot _doing teaching?"

Harry shrugged. "Trust me, you wouldn't believe me even if I told you!"

"I don't understand" Remus said. "Lockhart has difficulty with a simple disarming spell. Unless he's got some hidden talents"

"Well you _could _say that I guess" Harry replied without thinking. "He is rather proficient at some things"

"Such as?"

"Well, he's won the Witch's Weekly Best Smile or something like that for Merlin knows how many years running. He had half the school lusting after him" Harry replied, causing Remus to roll his eyes while James and Sirius looked at each other with a mischievous glint in their eyes. "Mind you … talking about disarming spells. Lockhart tried to start a Duelling club and was demonstrating that particular spell against Snape, but the idiot just completely screwed it up! Snape threw his halfway across the hall!"

Silence met his statement. James' and Sirius' were gaping at him, while Remus looked shocked. "What?"

"Did you just mention Snivellus?"

"..."

"Snape, as in that greasy git? Slytherin Sixth Year … that Snape?"

"..."

"Snape is a Professor?"

Harry looked at three disbelieving faces. '_Oops. Perhaps I should have eased them into it?_' he thought. _'Oh well, it's too late for that now, better make the most of it_'

"As in Snivellus, junior Death Eater? The bane of our lives? Greasy-hair himself? That Snape?" James asked. The look on his face was of astonishment, disbelief, and horror.

"Yes" Harry replied in a small voice.

"Merlin! The world has gone mad!" Sirius exclaimed. 

"Who in their right mind would let that git teach?" James asked.

"Professor Dumbledore" Harry replied.

"Well I always knew he was off his rocker" Sirius muttered. 

"What does Snape teach then?" Remus asked.

"Potions"

"Well that's a huge shock" James replied sarcastically.

"Merlin! How disgusting is that? Snape ... a Professor!" Sirius exclaimed. "Wait a minute! Does that mean he was _your _Potions Professor? From the future?"

Harry hesitated. Finally, he answered with a simple "Yes" 

Much to his amusement, all three teenagers' winced, though he could easily guess why. "How did you cope?" Remus asked.

Harry shrugged. "I just did, but it's safe to say that Snape and I don't really see eye to eye a lot of the time" he explained. 

"You are so unlucky. You can't hex him when he's being a git since he's a Professor, what with detention and all that" Sirius said sadly before perking up slightly. "Do you prank him though?"

"What do you mean? Of course he would. He's my son!" James exclaimed.

Remus looked at Harry who was smiling indulgently. "So?" he pressed.

"Prank Snape? Not really" he said. Harry saw slightly disgruntled looks form on James' and Sirius' faces and hurriedly continued to speak. "Snape really didn't need another excuse to take even more points of me, but there was one incident in our Third Year. Professor Lupin..."

Harry had to trail off into silence since Sirius and James had not been able to hold back their amusement and were currently laughing out loud again, while Remus blushed in embarrassment. Harry sat back, drinking in the easy, laid-back atmosphere, unintentionally fixing the memory in his mind. Finally James and Sirius calmed down, though still snickering in amusement every now and then, and Harry continued his tale. "We were learning about boggarts. One of my friends, Neville, was deathly afraid of Snape. Anyway, Remus told him to imagine his grandmother's clothes and superimpose them onto Snape!"

Remus looked stunned. "Snape was wearing a dress?"

Harry nodded. James, Sirius, and Remus looked faintly green and he assumed it was due to the mental image of Snape in a dress. He thought back to the incident and the hilarious sight of Snape in the green dress and vulture-topped hat and Harry could not hold back a snort of amusement. This seemed to break the stupor and all four Gryffindors began to laugh without restraint. Every time they managed to compose themselves, something would invariably lead them to burst into laughter once more. 

Harry wiped away the tears running down his face while Sirius seemed to be holding his stomach. Harry had the distinct impression that James' facial muscles had locked into the smirk he currently wore. This is what he had imagined it to be, laughing with Sirius, Remus, and his father. 

"Merlin!" Sirius gasped out. "I don't think I'll ever be able to look at Snape in the same way again!"

"Hairy legs?" Harry asked cheekily before turning green at the thought. Sirius shot an incredulous look towards Harry who was still looking rather ill.

Remus decided that if would be a good point to change the direction of the conversation. "Do you know us well?" he asked while scrutinising Harry.

Harry hesitated. He didn't want to lie, but he couldn't claim to know Remus, Sirius, and James as well as he should had he grown up with his parents. However, Harry felt that it was unwise to reveal the fact that he had grown up with the Dursleys for obvious reasons. At the same time, Harry's instinct was telling him that Remus was asking him something different. 

Going with his gut feeling, Harry finally replied. "I know that you're a werewolf"

There was a moment of silence following his rather abrupt statement in which Harry wondered whether he should have been slightly subtler. James and Sirius had matching wide eyes though Remus did not look all that surprised upon hearing Harry's admission.

"You already knew!" Harry accused.

Remus blinked. "Not so much" he said. "It's more a hypothesis. You obviously know us ... know me from your own time and you're not in the slightest bit uncomfortable around me. Either you already knew and didn't mind, or you hadn't got a clue. I just took a chance"

"I do and it doesn't bother me at all" Harry reassured.

"You mean we were worrying over you finding out about Remus is a werewolf and you knew all along?" James asked indignantly.

"Well I couldn't just walk up to you and go … oh by the way, I know that Remus is a werewolf" Harry replied sarcastically. "You wouldn't have believed me or trusted me!"

Sirius nodded. "That's probably true. Mind you, if we had know then Peter wouldn't have got that idiotic idea to get you into trouble with Filch!"

Harry's face darkened as he realised what Sirius had said. "I knew it" he growled. "I knew that incident with the ink wasn't my fault!"

"Harry. We're sorry about that, but we didn't know what he was planning until afterwards and then we couldn't do anything about it. You know how Filch gets. We told Peter to apologise to you though. That's why he was on his way to the Library" Remus explained.

"Oh" Harry said. Harry chewed his lower lip as he considered what to reveal about Pettigrew. Although the three teenagers knew that he was James' son, they hardly knew him, where as Peter had been involved in their group almost from the beginning. Adding to the complication was the fact that Harry knew that he could not change time and as much as he hated to admit it, Peter's betrayal was a key incident in his future. 

His chest tightened as he remembered how things would end, but he regained control by reminding himself that this way he was getting to know his parents, if only for a short while. Memories he would remember and savour for the rest of his life.

"About Peter" Harry started. "Would you mind if we didn't tell him right now about me? Everyone has to believe that I'm Harry Granger … not Harry Potter, for obvious reasons" he said. Before the other three could start to complain, Harry pressed on. "You must realise that you can't tell _anybody _about me. Only a handful of the Professors know and McGonagall knows that I've told you three the truth. If someone else were to find out…" Harry thought out loud. 

Harry allowed the implications to sink in before continuing. "I've already taken a huge risk by telling you three about my true identity but there really wasn't another satisfactory explanation for what you'd managed to find out. The thing is, if someone else were to find out as well … it's not out of the realms of possibility that the information could get into the hands of the Death Eaters. I don't know about you, but Voldemort would want to know everything about the future by capturing me and I really don't want to be seeing him again anytime soon"

"You said _his _name!" James exclaimed while Sirius' looked on in astonishment. Harry wondered whether he had a hidden talent for shocking people since he seemed to be inducing the astonished look quite often. 

"Voldemort?"

"Yes!"

Harry sighed. "Yes I did. There's not point in not saying his name. Fear of a name increases fear of the person instead. It's stupid and pointless"

Rather than the shocked expression that Harry was expecting, James smiled. "Well said. We don't see the point really. It is what he calls himself, Voldemort. Besides we're the fearless Marauders, pranksters extraordinaires!"

"We live for pranks! Rules and danger hold no fear with us!" Sirius agreed. 

"Back to the previous point though" Remus interrupted, trying to keep the conversation on track. "I'm still a bit confused. Why aren't we allowed to tell Peter?" he asked, while James and Sirius nodded their heads in agreement. 

Harry had never expected it to be easy but he had not anticipated the depths of his desire to explain Peter's betrayal to James, Sirius, and Remus. "Look, it kind of complicated to explain" he started. "Firstly, my reasoning is that if Peter doesn't know then the rest of us have to work that little bit harder to make sure no-one finds out about me. I think it can only help keep my identity a secret. Secondly, it's my secret to reveal. Not yours, not the Professors, mine and I don't want anyone else to find out right now"

James stared at Harry, who felt slightly uncomfortable under the scrutiny. Eventually, whatever the hazel-eyed teenagers was searching for, he found. James nodded once and a small smile graced his lips. "It's what you want," he said. "It's your right and your secret I guess, but I admit I don't feel at all comfortable having to keep it from Peter"

"Even so, we've kept Remus' secret all these years and we'll keep yours" Sirius added warmly while Remus nodded his head in agreement.

Harry was glad to have finish dealing with that little problem though he knew that it would likely not be the end of the matter. The longer he remained in this time, the greater the possibility that he would do something to affect the timeline. Still, Harry pushed those thoughts away, instead focussing on one of his deepest desires. It had been something he dreamt about ever since he had discovered it in his third year at Hogwarts. 

Harry looked at the teenage version of his father with shy emerald eyes. "Would you terribly mind if I were to ask if you could transform into Prongs?" Harry asked wistfully. "I'd love to see him"

James shot a strange look at Harry. "You mean you haven't seen it?"

Harry realised that he'd been caught out and decided to offer a half-truth. "I have" he replied, thinking of his Patronus form. "However, it's been a while and I'd love to refresh my memory" 

James shrugged and stood up. He moved into the middle of the circular room and flashed a proud smile at Harry. A second later, a beautiful brown stag stood in his place. The short brown hair gleamed while the hazel eyes looked almost human. The antlers, that his animagi form was named for, were very impressive in Harry's opinion. Harry took several steps forward until he reached Prongs. He brushed his hand against the large creature's flank several times, inwardly surprised at the softness of the stag's coat. The magnificent animal cocked his head at Harry's awed look. Harry had seen Prongs many times but it had been in the silvery light of his Patronus. This was more substantial, more real, the magic of a dream come true. 

Harry heard quiet muttering followed by a snort of amusement. He turned around to look at the other two Marauders, only to find Remus and a large black bear-like dog, Padfoot. Harry's first thought was to wonder why Sirius had transformed but he quickly shrugged it off. It was wonderful to see the large dog again. In fact, Harry could have almost deluded himself into believing that Sirius had not fallen behind the Veil. "Padfoot!" he exclaimed happily.

Padfoot approached Harry, nails clicking on the hard floor, and he nudged his cold wet nose against Harry's hand. A grin lit up Harry's face, something that did not go unnoticed by Padfoot, Remus, and James, who had transformed back into his human form. Harry fell to his knees and started to scratch Padfoot's ears. Aunt Marge's monsters notwithstanding, Harry actually quite liked dogs and in contrast to the older Padfoot, this younger version seemed to enjoy being petted, a fact that Harry took advantage of. 

"So you know about Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs then?" Remus asked. "I guess it's reasonable to say that you knew what we were upto the other night?"

Harry glanced up though he continued to stroke Padfoot's fur. "If you mean I know that you went to the Shack, transformed, and then went into the Forbidden Forest? Yes I did" he replied. He started to rub Padfoot's chest and Padfoot was obviously quite enjoying the attention if his wagging tail was any indication. "And no ... I won't tell anyone that you're illegal animagi or what you get up to" Harry reassured.

James snorted. "Not that I'd have expected you to!" he retorted. 

Harry grinned. "Well it's probably lower down on my list of misdemeanours" he replied.

"Like father like son" Remus muttered, though his smile betrayed him.

Harry turned his attention back to Padfoot, whose tongue was lolling around. If dogs could smirk, Harry would have bet his Firebolt that Padfoot had a smug smirk in place. Harry thought back to the last time that he had seen Padfoot. It had been the first of September when Sirius had accompanied him to Kings Cross station to see him off to Hogwarts. He recalled how he had met Padfoot at the outskirts of Hogsmeade village in his fourth year. Harry was so lost in his memories that he was unaware that he had murmured a soft and wistful "_Snuffles_"

Padfoot's sensitive ears, however, picked up the softly spoken word and he transformed back in shock. Harry blinked. He had not expected Sirius to transform back into his human form and found himself mid-stroke. Rather than petting Padfoot's head, Harry's hand combed through the silky black hair of Sirius Black, human. He could hear James and Remus' laughter in the background but his attention was fixed on the red face and surprised sapphire eyes of Sirius. Harry snatched his hand back and he felt his own face redden in embarrassment. 

Sirius looked as though he was having difficulty in articulating his thoughts. "Who ... or _what _is Snuffles!" he finally asked.

"You are"

Sirius' eyebrows flew upwards. "Me?" 

"Yes" Harry replied emphatically.

"Who was the _idiot _who decided to call me that ... that..." 

"You came up with it" Harry replied nonchalantly. 

"_I wouldn't!_" Sirius spluttered. "There is _no _way. It's not exactly an appropriate name for Padfoot, is it?"

Harry shrugged. The blush on his face had lessened considerably and he found himself more amused at Sirius' indignation. "I think it's quite a cute name actually" he replied cheekily.

Remus, James, and Harry burst out laughing at the dumbstruck look on Sirius' face. Harry was too busy clutching his sides to notice the gleam that appeared in Sirius' eyes. One moment Harry was laughing, the next found him on his back, lying on the floor with a smirking Sirius ontop of him.

Harry opened his mouth to ask Sirius what he was doing but all that came out of his mouth was undignified giggling and the occasional squeal. Harry realised that Sirius was exacting revenge for the new nickname by tickling him. Unfortunately, Harry was very ticklish. He squirmed and tried to evade Sirius' fingers but to no avail. "Sirius! Stop" he managed to gasp though the commanding tone was lessened by Harry's continual giggling. 

"No way Harry" Sirius replied who was looking down at Harry with an evil smirk. "Call me Snuffles will you?"

"No! No I won't" Harry cried out, before dissolving into another fit of giggles. Harry decided to take a different approach. "Remus!" he shouted. "James! Help!" he tried. "_Dad!_"

Apparently, the last softer cry had worked since James called out to his best friend. "Sirius! Let Harry have a break!" he shouted.

Harry smirked triumphantly at Sirius as he stopped his tickling and sat back. Harry was getting back up into a sitting position while Sirius pouted. "Prongs! You don't let me have any fun!" he complained.

Harry snorted. "Fun for you!"

Sirius flashed a smirk his way. "Weren't you laughing a minute ago?"

"I was being _tickled_!"

"So?"

Harry mock-glared. "You're not at all ticklish are you?"

"Nope!"

"I hate you!"

"No you don't" Sirius said, looking at Harry with his big soft eyes.

Harry snorted in amusement at the obvious play on his sympathy. "You'll get no sympathy from me _Snuffles_!" he replied with a smirk.

Sirius narrowed his eyes at the pansy nickname but Harry, who had anticipated more retribution, had started to move closer to James. Sirius admitted defeat by raising his hands. "Okay, okay. I won't tickle you. You don't need to hide behind _Daddy-dearest_!"

James laughed. "Better than _Snuffles_. Makes you sound like a poodle or something equally scary!"

"You wait Potter!"

"What are you going to do Snuffles?"

Sirius, who had finally joined his friends in standing up, narrowed his eyes at James before charging. James blinked once before starting to run across the room, away from the blue eyed teenager. "You can't catch me you flea-bitten mutt!" James shouted.

"I think those antlers have made your head too big Prongs!" Sirius shouted, leaping onto Remus' bed as he chased James. 

Harry looked on surprise at the two teenagers' behaviour. Remus came up to his side. "Looks like things are back to normal then" he said, his amber eyes sparkling with humour. "Welcome to the mad house Harry Potter" he said. Harry looked at his friend and smiled. 

"_Sirius_!" James exclaimed as he doubled back. At Harry's side, he heard Remus mutter several charms, obviously countering Harry's security spells. Remus had just finished in time as James whipped the dorm door open started to run down the winding staircase, Sirius at his heels. 

Harry and Remus exchanged amused looks before following the two dark-haired teenagers down to the common room. Harry looked back into the empty sixth year dorm before following Remus. "It's going to be one hell of a ride" he muttered to himself with a smile.

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Author's Note:

I just want to say a huge thank you so much for putting up with me. Sorry that I haven't updated for ages but I have 8 different writing projects going on concurrently and RL issues to deal with. This chapter was especially hard to write since I couldn't reveal too much and it was trying to go off in different tangents so I had to try and rein it in. Secondly, sorry for the mix up with the chapter. I was trying to reload a different _Chapter 9 _but ffnet did something I didn't expect. Many apologies for my mistake and thanks to everyone who mentioned it to me. 

I'm trying to work out whether to set up a _Yahoo Group _so more of you can check up on progress or talk to me about the **Turn Back Time **story (and the **Missing Scenes Series**) since **Livejournal **is geared towards other journal users. Please leave me a review to let me know whether you think it's a good idea. 

I've currently got several writing projects on the go, including a couple of challenges. I'm quite seriously behind on **Harry Potter's Diary **entries and the **Turn Back Time: Missing Scenes Series**. I'm going to try and spend a little while on those as well as the next chapter of **Happily Ever After?** before updating this one. Keep an eye on my **Livejournal **for updates to my progress. 

I'm hoping that I can get to **335 reviews **before I next update but if you lovely reviewers can get me to **350 reviews** then I'll add on a surprise and concentrate on getting _Chapter 11_ out hopefully within a few days of the 350th review. I'll leave it up to you!

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Warning: The following review responses contain hints and spoilers for future plot points and chapters! HUGE thanks to everyone who took time out to read and review the last chapter of this story, you have my gratitude! These include **Dadaiiro, Jaded Angel8, Kel6, liveandletlive, Question!!!, Aurora, walkin', A-Brighter-Dawn, Necromant, Musicstarlover, Alynna Lis Eachann, Golden Chrystanthium, DraconicalPriest, Richan, yaminy-grint4eva, Kael Black, danca, Lady Pyra, Larissa, Prongsblacks, blip-dragon, Krylancelo, Firesword, gaul1, gizachick, walker-of-the-shadow-path, kalena, Jen, Serena12, penny, Ibozun, annon, HoshiHikari4ever, Firefly, Anilia Hawkeye, Dadaiiro, aphrodite_k, me, Stella Delight, dweem-angel, sapphireskies, Ice, glory the pig, Abby, Vasquez1987, Iian Feuerfalke, Hilel, Hushykid3, zorro x, katydidnt, futagoakuma-tenshi01, pameruh qui aime malfoy, Puckstar, I-want-to-fly, Talamh, Tielle, **and **Mr Happy Java Man.**

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Dadaiiro - Thank you. It's quite hard to not reveal too much. Protection is one of the many enchantments and for the long reviews and the wait for the next chapter, another charm on the necklace is that only certain people can wear/touch it. The second flashback occurred around a week before that chapter, but it's timing is not really that important. Regarding Pettigrew, I did start off hating him, but as I write more and delve into his character, I do pity him more. 

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Jaded Angel8 - James, Sirius, and Remus will ask those questions, but right now they're trying to deal with the revelation that Harry is James' son.

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Kel6 - It wasn't accidental magic as such but one of the necklaces' unique properties, it 'detected' Harry's distress and the 'foreign body' and acted accordingly. I'm tending towards extending that 'predatory eyes' scene in the Missing Scenes Series.

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Question!!! - Yes but I didn't say that! LOL

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A-Brighter-Dawn - Sorry! Glad you still like it though!

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Necromant - The anger wasn't so much what set the magic off, but rather induced one of the necklaces' properties. *blush* One of the best? Thank you!

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Kael Black - Thank you! Reviews like this are lovely and completely pamper to my ego! 

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Lady Pyra - It annoys me too when everything is revealed. No one in his or her right mind would behave so recklessly consciously. Information revealed by mistakes/accidents are fine though, everyone makes mistakes. Peter? I started off hating him, after all he is a bad guy and a traitor. As I explore him more, look at possible reasons for the betrayal and the way he's treated, I've found myself pitying him. It's not so much sympathy since he knew he was selling out and he deserves the consequences of his actions. I still don't like him much, but it's hard keeping him sympathetic and not evil while still at school. 

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Larissa - As I've told you before, Regulus will turn up eventually. I quite like the idea of him so I'm hoping to eventually include him in the **Missing Scenes Series **eventually. Harry won't be a phoenix unfortunately, something a bit more down to earth! I do agree that he feels at home when flying, but I have my reasons *grin* Harry grew up that summer, he had a huge shock after the events at the Ministry. I chose to make him grow up and fast, partly since I think he had to and partly to further the plot. You'll see some of the arguments and conversations at Grimmauld Place eventually, also in the _Missing Scenes_. In addition, Harry knows that he has to be careful around Peter. By letting his emotions and temper take over, he could jeopardise his entire future.

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Prongsblacks - Congratulations! You were the only one to correctly guess whom Harry was going to see. Have a pat on the back!

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Firesword - I know what you mean about the lack of time! Lockhart is in Slytherin since he doesn't seem Gryffindor or Ravenclaw material and he's too self-absorbed and lazy for Hufflepuff. As for punctuation, I try my best but I never had grammar lessons so I'm trying my best. Sorry! *blushes* Know any good betas?

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gizachick - It's going to change the dynamics slightly but they'll eventually settle down. It's like working in the same place as your partner and being able to differentiate yourself from work and home, but a hell of a lot more complicated. Then again, this group of people seem to be used to dealing with the weird! They'll cope but may hit some stumbling blocks along the way.

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Serena12 - The egg will come back into the tory soon. It's still incubating in the charmed box.

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annon - He did. The second wand was in his trunk, which was filled with loads of magical items so it was bright anyway, and so the glow from the second wand indistinguishable. I'm of the opinion that Harry's holly wand is a more powerful wand than the average anyway.

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Firefly - Yes it is.

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sapphireskies - Glad you liked the flashbacks. You should check out my Livejournal for more _Missing Scenes _which will be similar to those.

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Iian Feuerfalke - Thank you so much. I'm trying to keep this as believable as it can be under the circumstances. It's hard but I think it pays off.

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katydidnt - To my knowledge, Wormtail had disappeared by the time Harry's Patronus was discovered to be Prongs (though he may have seen it at the Quidditch match? But don't rats have bad eyesight?) and Hermione only suspected that Sirius bought Harry the broom. The confirmation occurs during the train ride back home. I'm assuming that since Dumbledore came back right at the end of term, he would have made sure that Harry got the Firebolt back, especially considering the events at the Ministry. If it were me, I'd make sure I got my first present back as a reminder. *blush* I've only know got the last comment about the snoring. Bad SStar! *chuckle* Yes that was Ron being slightly put out. By the by, Betrayed is fantastic! I'm hooked.

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Tielle - I think Peter was more a victim of circumstance rather than being plain evil. Something, or several somethings, must have happened for him to become the waste of a wizard he is now.

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Mr Happy Java Man - You guessed my ship! Congratulations. The egg has a incredibly significant role but don't expect to see it featured all that often in the story. It's still incubation but will come up soon. Almost all of the presents (apart from the obvious fillers) are significant in some way or another. I haven't quite decided what James, Sirius, and Remus will discover given Harry's revelations quite yet, but I do have a couple of things that will definitely depend on it. Will they find out Lily is Harry's mother? I can't say! *grins* I can't reveal whether Sirius lives or dies since it'll spoil everything I'm working towards. However, I was incredibly upset when Sirius fell behind the Veil (I take comfort from JK Rowling's comments in her WBD chat) No need for the Coffeeholic Yetis! Sounds scary! See ... I've updated!

I apologise in advance for any mistakes, spelling, grammatical or otherwise. It is all my fault since this is unbeta'd. Please review and send any helpful comments, all will be appreciated. Any flames, however, will be, in all honesty, disregarded. Thank you for reading!

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SStar


	13. Dream a Little Dream of Me

Title: **Turn Back Time**

Author name: **SStar**

Rating: **PG-13 - **Will have **slash** later on in the story Harry/Sirius

Spoilers: **PS/SS; CoS; PoA; GoF; OotP; FB; QTTA**

This chapter: Harry practices his meditation and unintentionally uses his wild magic. Bill Weasley becomes the envy of the first years when he talks to Sirius and James while Harry starts research into becoming an Animagus. However, Peter is unhappy with this turn of events while Sirius has a dream.

DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Author notes: This chapter is unbeta'd but with lots of encouragement from **Dailynn**, **Englishmuffin2**, **Elana** and **Kelmedren** as well as all the lovely reviews. I hope you enjoy the chapter and I apologise for the long wait. The song lyrics are by **Slytheriny** who won the _Song Lyrics Competition_ on the **Turn Back Time Yahoo Group**.

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**Chapter 11: Dream a Little Dream of Me**

Harry wondered whether his eyes could get any wider than they already were. It was impossible to take everything in and Harry was caught up with admiration and fascination. The ever changing flow, the richness and the intensity; it was unique and yet it remained the same. It was magic, encompassing Harry, filling him with a sense of comfort.

Harry was meditating.

The space around the green-eyed teenager shifted and changed. Objects appeared while others disappeared. Not even the dimensions of the room escaped undisturbed, expanding in all directions and the luxurious rug that Harry was sat upon grew thicker.

Harry had decided to use the Room of Requirement for his Occlumency and meditation practice. It had only been a couple of days since he had revealed his true identity to James, Sirius and Remus. However, there was the bitter aftertaste in Harry's interactions with the three teenagers. A complication that Harry had not wanted to introduce into their tentative friendship and a turn in events that weighed heavily in his heart.

Harry cast his thoughts back to the Potions lesson he had attended that very morning. Harry and Sirius had been partnered together, as usual, in order to make a plant-based poison.

_Harry checked the list of ingredients on the blackboard. "It's time to add the eye of newt, isn't it?" Harry asked his partner._

_Sirius did not falter in his steady stirring of the potion. "You're right," he replied. "The powdered bicorn horn is supposed to be sprinkled over the potion right after we add the eye of newt."_

_Harry turned to look at his partner, a smile on his lips, but it went unnoticed by the blue-eyed teenager. Harry blinked before moving to secure the small vial containing the eye of newt. Green eyes scanned the worktop for the powdered bicorn horn before finally locating it at Sirius' left elbow. _

_Not wanting to interrupt Sirius' concentration, Harry leant across Sirius' back in order to obtain the second vial. The dark-haired teenager stiffened as Harry withdrew his arm. Harry bit back a sigh as he added the eye of newt and the powdered bicorn to the bubbling potion. He quickly became engrossed in the hypnotic circular movement of the stirring spoon._

_A light touch on his arm jerked Harry out of his stupor. His head jerked and emerald eyes met sapphire. Sirius was looking at Harry with furrowed brows._

_"Harry? Are you feeling okay?" Sirius asked, his eyes betraying his concern. "You were just standing there, staring into nothing."_

_Harry fought to keep the blush off his face. "Sorry Sirius," he replied. "I was just thinking. That's all."_

_"Thoughts or serious thoughts?" Sirius asked._

_"Serious Sirius thoughts?" Harry responded with a small smirk._

_"You ... you!" Sirius' mouth moved without any sound for a few seconds. "Have you been taking advice from Prongs?" he finally managed to ask._

_Harry pretended to be deep in thought before answering. "Ummm ... no?"_

_"Because the whole Sirius-serious thing became old a very long time ago," Sirius explained with a pout._

_Harry could not hold back a small chuckle at the chagrined look on Sirius' face. Fortunately, for Harry, the popping and spitting of their potion masked his small outburst._

_"So it occurred to me earlier," Sirius began to say. "Do you also have the cloak ... you know, the invisibility cloak?"_

_Harry nodded an affirmative and his smile widened when Sirius' face lit up with delight. "I've got the Map as well," he added as an afterthought._

_Sirius' smile widened and a mischievous glint appeared in his eye. Harry wondered just what he had let himself get involved in. 'I hope things will turn out alright ... in time,' Harry thought as he basked in the warm smile of his Potions' partner. 'Maybe ... just maybe Sirius, James, and Remus will start acting normal again. Well, as normal as those three can get I suppose.'_

Harry could understand the situation that James, Sirius, and Remus had been placed in all too well. The new information they had to process, the confusion and contradictions to sort through. However, that did not make life any easier for Harry.

It was not the first instance of anomalous behaviour that Harry had experienced since the revelations about his identity. Sirius' reaction to Harry's news had been the most extreme. Harry's interactions with the blue-eyed teenager had been fraught with awkwardness and Harry felt as though Sirius was battling with himself.

It was a rare sight indeed to see a smile pass the blue-eyed teenagers' lips those past few days. In fact, Sirius appeared to avoid making direct eye contact with Harry whenever possible. The knot of worry in Harry's stomach tightened with every instance. Harry was slowly coming to realise how much he enjoyed the way that Sirius' eyes expressed his every emotion.

Harry noted that his teenage father, on the other hand, had developed a preference for staring at Harry, often with a small crease between his eyebrows which indicated that he was deep in thought. In fact, on one occasion that Harry had personally witnessed; James had been so distracted that he had even ignored the jibes from a seventh year Slytherin.

Remus had been the quickest of the three teenagers who had adjusted to the new information. Harry suspected that Remus understood his situation to a greater degree than the two black-haired teenagers did.

_Secrets_. Those that Harry chose to keep and those that were kept from him. It was something that Harry knew would always be a part of his life, as much as it galled him at times. As a child, he had known that his aunt and uncle had kept something important from him. Dumbledore himself admitted that he had withheld information from Harry, an action that turned out to have grave consequences for so many others.

Harry, too, had many secrets. Some seemed so trivial now considering his current situation, such as his cloak and the Marauder's Map. Others held more significance and importance in the greater scheme of things. The Order of the Phoenix. The Prophecy. The truth about Sirius Black.

Remus understood that part of his life.

They both held secrets that they were unable to reveal to the world at large. The inability to expose themselves fully and the hurt they experienced as they lied to their nearest and dearest. Both having to hide a part of their true selves from all others; to live an incomplete life.

It was painful. Not like blinding pain of the Cruciatus curse but a slow acting poison in his bloodstream. To always have to be someone yet to never know himself, nor to be known for himself.

The Boy-Who-Lived. Saviour of the Wizarding World. Bearer of the lightening scar. Sole survivor of the killing curse. Defeater of Voldemort.

Not Harry Potter.

He wanted to be just Harry.

Perhaps he had just been offered that chance. There were many secrets that Harry knew he had to keep in order to preserve the timeline for his own existence. However, the opportunity to realise what he could be despite all that, lay tantalisingly ahead for his taking.

Harry decided that he had spent enough time thinking and his green eyes slowly opened before widening in surprise. Harry looked around the Room of Requirement. The room that he had initially requested was no longer. Instead, he was now sitting in the middle of a facsimile of the Gryffindor common room.

"Now, _how_ didI do that?" Harry asked himself with a great deal of curiosity, but there was no answer forthcoming.

'_In a time of deepest sorrow,_

_When existence seemed so hollow,_

_He was cursed, thrown back into a time,_

_When his ancestors lived in their prime.'_

Sirius adjusted the volume control on the wireless before taking the two strides back to his armchair in the Gryffindor Common Room. "So you have the cloak then?" he asked the other teenager for the second time that day

Harry looked suspiciously at Sirius from his own seat. "Like I already told you, yes," he answered. "Why do you ask?"

Blue eyes danced with humour and a roguish grin lit Sirius' face. "Oh, no reason really," he said.

Harry's right eyebrow rose in response. "You, Sirius Black, are trying to tell me that you're not planning something?"

Sirius plastered an innocent look on his face. "Yes."

"I don't believe you," Harry responded. "I know perfectly well that James has an invisibility cloak as well. I should know since it's his cloak that I now own!"

Sirius shook his head several times as he thought the situation through. "There is just something strange about that. Both you and Prongs have an invisibility cloak and it's the _same_ one. Except it can't be the same cloak because there are _two_ of them."

Harry shrugged. "I don't have a clue Sirius," he said. "I think the Muggles have a much better idea about things like this though. I wish Hermione was here, she would know how to explain it and if she didn't, she'd hit the library until she found out."

* * *

_Understanding and love he found,_

_To this new friendship he was now bound,_

_His problems drifted away into the void,_

_Falling in love, he just could not avoid._

Harry missed the speculative look on Sirius' face since at that moment the portrait hole swung open and several students walked into the cosy common room, drowning out the song currently playing on the wireless. Harry was very pleased to see that Bill Weasley was amongst those who had entered and was currently making his way to where he was sitting.

"Harry," the redhead greeted enthusiastically as he shrugged off his bookbag and threw it upon the armchair facing Harry's own.

"_Oomph!_"

Unknowingly, Bill had thrown his bookbag onto Sirius' lap. The first year paled rapidly upon seeing what he had just done, freckles standing out against pale skin as he stood in front of the armchair. Shocked turned into realisation as Bill realised that he had not seen Sirius since the chair that the other boy had been sitting upon had been facing away from him.

Harry leapt up from his own seat and hurried to kneel in front of Sirius. He removed the bag from the winded teenager's lap and laid a hand on Sirius' knee. "Are you hurt?" he asked urgently, concern shining from his green eyes.

_Let him dream,_

_Under the past sunbeam,_

_Let him have his perfect romance,_

_Just give him a last chance,_

_And turn him back in time,_

_Into the endless sea of the passing rhyme,_

_Make him throw history in the temporal torrent,_

_Let him weaver it in the rampant current._

The song's chorus faded into silence as Sirius rubbed his stomach, although hooded blue eyes did not move from where Harry's hand rested on his leg. "I'm fine," he muttered.

Harry's face openly expressed his disbelief.

"Really I am," Sirius insisted at Harry. "Mind you, I would be feeling a lot better had I not been hit by a bag full of bricks," he moaned, sending a glare in the direction of the offending person.

"What have you got in there?" Sirius asked the decidedly nervous looking first year.

Bill bit his lower lip nervously. "Just a few books."

Sirius sounded incredulous. "A _few_ books?"

Bill shrugged a shoulder. "Professor McGonagall mentioned Simultaneous Transfigurations in our lesson today and Professor Flitwick told us that we were starting Illuminations next week so I thought I would get a head start on that."

Sirius frowned. "That," he said, pointing at the bag, "did not feel like just _two_ books."

Harry could not hold back a small snicker. "Maybe you're getting soft in your old age," he commented, as he got up to return to his own seat.

Sirius turned to glare at Harry. "I'm telling you, it wasn't just the two books," he insisted. "What else is in there?" he asked Bill.

Bill nervously scratched the back of his neck. "Well there are the books I needed for today's lessons in there as well," he answered.

Sirius did not look convinced. "And?"

Bill flushed. "A couple of books on Ancient Egyptian wizarding culture," he finally admitted.

Harry looked at the younger Bill Weasley in surprise. He had not thought that Bill would have become interested in the Egyptian culture at such an early stage. Harry wondered whether this young Bill would realise the future importance of the little decisions that he was currently making. Sirius' reaction, however, brought Harry out of his thoughts.

"What House do you think you're in?" Sirius exclaimed. "The only people who carry that many books are Ravenclaws."

Bill blushed at the rebuke and Harry decided to come to the first year's defence. "Now Sirius. You can't say that Lily and Remus probably have just as many books as Bill in their bags."

Sirius snorted. "Evans? Wouldn't surprise me at all … and Remus? Well he's excused."

"I didn't see you in the chair, I'm sorry I hit you," Bill apologised to Sirius. "I just thought that Harry was here by himself."

Sirius tilted his head as he looked at the shorter boy. "I recognise you but I can't remember your name right now. I know I've seen you at our Quidditch practices..."

Harry decided to make the introductions, knowing that the younger students had placed Sirius and James on a pedestal of sorts. Harry had heard through the grapevine that the first years were told stories of the pranks and trouble James and Sirius had got up to throughout the years by the older students. However, the intelligence of the two teenagers, their brilliance on the Quidditch field, their mischievous nature and their popularity had meant that many of the first years had been intimidated by their personas.

"Sirius, this is Bill Weasley," Harry explained. "First year Gryffindor."

"Well I can tell he's a Gryffindor Harry," Sirius replied sarcastically, although his eyes seemed to be sizing up the red-haired boy. "The tie and crest give it away."

"Well I thought I'd just point it out just in case, particularly after that bump you received from Bill's bag," Harry explained.

"My mind is working perfectly well," Sirius argued. "It hit my stomach, not my head."

Harry allowed the smallest of smiles to curl his lips and he blinked innocently. "Are you sure? I was told that you thought with your stomach Sirius."

Blue eyes narrowed. "Hey! What is this? 'Pick on Sirius' day? First I get hit by an overzealous first year who's imitating a Ravenclaw and now the figurative blow to my ego?"

"Perhaps."

"What have I done to receive such treatment from my friends?" Sirius demanded before sighing loudly.

"Drama queen," Harry muttered under his breath.

Bill's bright blue eyes had darted from Harry to Sirius and back again during their exchange of words. During the small pause, the first year coughed to gain the attention of the other two Gryffindors.

"I think I'll just go upstairs now," Bill explained.

Immediately, Harry began to protest. "Bill! Sorry, I didn't mean to ignore you. Sit down," he invited, nodding towards an empty chair.

Bill glanced dubiously at Harry and then Sirius. At the latter's small nod, Bill decided to join the two older boys. Harry smiled and turned to Bill.

"So how have you been Bill? Heard from Charlie recently?" he asked with interest.

Bill smirked. "Oh yes. I got an owl from him today. Apparently, Percy has been behaving in a rather fussy manner recently. Mum is really confused by it all. She said that Charlie and I were really well behaved and everything, but Percy … well, she's a bit flummoxed."

Harry snorted quietly. Bill's comments about the young Percy did not surprise him at all. Harry had always thought Percy to be the most straight-laced of the Weasley siblings and almost immediately noticed Percy fondness for order and rules. Later, Percy's love for rank and position became apparent, to the extent that he would even forsake his family; something Harry could not begin to understand. To make that kind of decision and to renounce your family in doing so.

"Apparently Mum says that he's being really pernickety," Bill explained, breaking into Harry's train of thought. "Percy's got this habit of crying if he's not fed at the same time each day."

Harry smiled sympathetically. "At least your mother has Charlie to help out I suppose," he replied.

Bill grinned. "When he's not practicing on his broom that is! Although, to be honest, it isn't all that much time really."

"Still, I bet he'll be good enough to play for England one day if what you tell me is true," Harry replied.

"I bet he could. He's really good, but nothing like you," Bill enthused.

Harry ducked his head in embarrassment. "I wouldn't say that. I've got a few years additional game practice under my belt than Charlie. Just wait, you'll see!" Harry replied with a secret smile.

Sirius snorted. "I doubt this kid, no offence Bill, is better than our Harry here," he said. "I've watched you at practice and I'm telling you Bill, there isn't any Seeker like him."

Harry blushed. "I'm really not _that_ good and I wouldn't be too sure on what you say Sirius. I have this feeling that Charlie will be something special."

Bill smiled gratefully at the green-eyed boy, although Sirius did not look convinced. Harry shrugged and aimed a lop-sided smile at Sirius, which seemed to stop the blue-eyed teenager from further expounding upon Harry's Quidditch skills.

Harry pushed away the questions raised at the warm feeling he felt while Sirius had been praising him. '_Definitely not the time to think about that_,' Harry decided.

"Mind you, Charlie has a bit of Beater's blood in him too I think," Bill said thoughtfully.

Harry raised an eyebrow in question. "Really?"

Sirius perked up slightly at this. "We could do with another up-and-coming Beater in a couple of year's time. I'll need someone to pass my superior knowledge and skills onto."

"He's always having a go at the gnomes in our garden," Bill explained. "Mum's keeps on complaining about them but my Dad thinks they're funny and so keeps on letting the gnomes come back in. Charlie loves throwing them back over the wall. I know he's managed to get some way over into the field next door."

"Vicious little things aren't they?" Harry replied. "Those gnomes."

Bill nodded in agreement while absently rubbing his right hand. "Mum doesn't understand why my Dad likes them so much," Bill said. "Mind you, Charlie told me about the latest thing Dad's brought home to tinker with."

Harry thought back to the small shed at the Burrow, filled with Muggle items that Mr Weasley had acquired over the years. Harry recalled the older wizard's fascination with muggle batteries and he wondered what Mr Weasley had brought home this time.

"A lamp!" Bill exclaimed. "With a plug. Apparently, it runs off _elekricity_, according to Dad. Mum doesn't have a clue what to do with it."

"Electricity," Harry corrected. "I have to ask though, why a lamp?"

Bill shrugged. "I have no idea. Charlie says Dad thinks something called a _plug_ is absolutely fascinating. Apparently this plug isn't even on the lamp but hanging off it by some kind of strange string. I bet Dad would love to talk to you about plugs and ... electricity and all that kind of stuff.

"He's really busy at the moment though. Dad works in the _Misuse of Muggle Artifacts_ at the Ministry," Bill explained for Sirius' benefit. "He's been out on loads of raids recently according to Charlie, they've been keeping him really busy. The other day he and some other Ministry workers raided the Notts' home. They didn't find all that much Dark Magic stuff there though but Dad keeps on telling us how he really wishes he could have a look at..."

Bill suddenly stopped and flushed. Guilty blue eyes darted across to look at Sirius. Harry's face contorted in confusion, but Sirius quickly realised what Bill had stopped himself from saying.

Sirius ran a hand through his hair as his lips curled into a sneer. "Don't stop on my account Bill," he said. "I'm quite sure your father would love to raid the old Black House. It would probably be the biggest one he ever did but it isn't going to happen.

"They're too rich and powerful," he explained with a scowl. "My mother has her society friends and my father," Sirius spat out. "My father has probably paid off most of the influential politicians at the Ministry. Your father wouldn't have a hope in hell of getting within sight of the front doors of Twelve Grimmauld Place. _Ever_."

Harry frowned. "Surely there must be something that Mr Weasley can do?" he asked.

Sirius shook his head. "Even if he could get authorisation for a raid, he and the other poor sods would still have to get through the insane amount of hexes, curses and spells that protect the house; _they're_ a paranoid bunch. I bet Grimmauld Place is one of the best protected properties in the country. Even if the Ministry got into the House, its quite possible that they wouldn't find a thing. There are secrets in that House that even _I_ don't know about. The only place of interest that I managed to discover was the secret passageway from the kitchen.

"_They're_ arrogant enough, right now, not to bother hiding most of the illegal dark objects and books in that place," Sirius explained. His face was a study in distaste and Harry could tell that Sirius' was not too comfortable discussing his family with others. "However if they needed to hide the stuff, they could easily enough. I doubt your father would be able to find anything of any real use. Not enough to send anyone to Azkaban at any rate ... that's if they don't bribe Merlin knows who to conveniently 'forget' the whole mess."

Bill gasped. "Bribe _Ministry_ officials?"

"They would do a lot more and a lot worse if they had to," Sirius grimly said. "Couldn't have one of their own in a hell-hole like Azkaban or disgraced in any way."

"What about you?" Bill asked curiously.

Sirius snorted but Harry could sense a sadness in the manner that Sirius held his body. "I'm no family in their eyes. If they could take my name from me, they would have. I'm not worthy enough to be a Black ... not that I want to be associated with _that_ lot!"

Harry made an abortive movement to comfort the dark-haired teenager, conflict reflected in his green eyes. For a moment, the Sirius that Harry had known, the one who had spent thirteen long years in Azkaban, had been superimposed with the Sirius who sat in front of him. A Sirius who would have been uncomfortable with such a display of sympathy. A man who had not allowed himself forgiveness, would not accept it from others; who died blaming himself for the deaths of his best friends.

Harry blinked and the image vanished, leaving behind an uncomfortable atmosphere between the three Gryffindor students. Bill's bright eyes darted from Sirius to Harry and back again, while Sirius' elegant fingers were digging into the plush red material of his chair. Harry wondered whether it was a conscious action or not on Sirius' behalf.

"_Sirius!_"

Sirius' head snapped up turned in the direction of the door, where an annoyed looking James Potter stood with his hands on his waist.

"What the blazes do you think you're doing Sirius," James snapped. "Don't you remember we have detention?"

"Since when did you care if we had detention or not," Sirius shot back, not moving from his seat.

James' eyes darted to where Harry was watching the exchange and his posture stiffened before he returned to glare at his best friend. "I just do," he replied. "Besides, this one is with McGonagall."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "So you're worrying that if you don't behave, McGonagall will tattle to your parents?"

James ran a hand through his already messy hair. "Look, can we just get it over and done with tonight?" he asked, his hazel eyes pleading with Sirius.

"You should probably go," Harry quietly urged from his seat. "Best not get into any more trouble than you already may be in."

Sirius looked at Harry for a long moment before getting to his feet in one fluid motion. "I guess I'll see you later then," he said before turning towards the portrait hole.

"You got your mirror?" James asked.

Sirius patted his left trouser pocket. James' expression lightened as Harry realised that they were talking about the same mirror that now lay in pieces at the bottom of his trunk.

James smiled at Harry before looking curiously at the younger boy. His forehead creased. "You're a Weasley, aren't you?" he asked.

Bill blinked before answering. "I am," he replied. "William Weasley."

"William?" James asked.

Bill looked as though he was about to crawl under the couch, away from James' curious gaze. Harry was about to speak up when Bill took a deep breath and replied. "Yes, but everyone calls me Bill really."

"Well Bill Weasley … nice to meet you but as I'm sure you've already gathered, I need to be somewhere else, so I'll see you two later," he said in farewell.

Sirius shot a mischievous look at his best friend as he passed him while leaving the common room. "Come on _Jamie_. Detention waits for no Gryffindor."

Harry chuckled as he heard an annoyed voice shout at Sirius. "I thought I told you _not_ to call me Jamie!" before the door slammed shut behind the two dark-haired teenagers.

Harry turned to look at a wide-eyed Bill. "I can't believe it," he said.

"Believe what?"

"James Potter and Sirius Black just spoke to me!" Bill exclaimed in excitement. "They're probably the most popular boys in the school and James even knew who I was! My friends are going to be so jealous when I tell them!"

Harry smiled as he settled back into the seat, content to listen to Bill's excited chatter. The knowledge that Sirius was feeling more comfortable around him soothed him and comforted him. That was enough for tonight in Harry's opinion.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want anything Harry?" Sirius asked. "I don't mind and you're still too thin in my opinion."

Harry blushed. "Really Sirius, I'm not hungry. You should get something on the other hand … that stomach of yours is rather distracting with all that rumbling and growling."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Alright, I get the hint! I'm going … I know when I'm not appreciated," he replied with a sniff before strolling out of the common room.

Harry chuckled at the sight of Sirius flouncing out of the room. The smile was still upon his lips as he turned back to find his place in the textbook he was reading. The pages were filled with notes written in several distinctive styles; from Remus' neat script to James' scrawl which slanted to the right. Peter too had added to the book although the majority of his additions consisted of doodles and questioning circles around various points of note. However, on the occasions that he had written in the margins, the words were in direct contrast to James' style in that they slanted to the left. The greatest contribution to the book that lay in his lap was a striking yet elegant cursive that appeared both thick and heavy on the paper. Harry could easily tell that this project was one that Sirius had put his heart and soul into.

The soft click as the heavy wooden door was opened drew Harry's eyes away from the yellowing pages. A small smile started to form as he pondered on the speed at which Sirius had raided the kitchens, but the smile rapidly disappeared when he saw the straw-blonde hair and pudgy face of Pettigrew.

Harry sent a nod of acknowledgement towards Pettigrew which was duly returned. Rarely had Harry found himself alone with the very same person who had grown up to betray everyone he loved. Usually Remus, Sirius or James would also be present, thus allowing Harry to focus his attentions on them rather than Pettigrew.

This time, however, Harry had something to occupy his mind and so he turned back to reading the book.

_'The main purpose of the transformation is to transfigure oneself into the animal form however a popular misconception is that the form is one made through choice. It is not unless one has a will more powerful that that of the magic that is used in this complex transfiguration and even then that strength of will cannot fully overcome the dominant animal. It is the attributes within your soul that will determine the form which you will take upon the successful completion of the Animagus transfiguration. The animal a wizard or witch transforms into is a reflection on his or her personality.'_

Harry frowned as he reread the paragraph. He did not know of any witch or wizard who had been able to choose their animal form. He suspected that not even Voldemort would have been capable of such a task yet why did the textbook refer to '_a will more powerful than that of the magic_'. Harry placed the book back onto Sirius' bed and reached for another reference book that had most definitely not been taken from the restricted section of the library.

"_What_ are you doing?"

Harry's surprise at the voice reflected in the soft thud as the book fell back onto the bed. Emerald flints turned to glare at Pettigrew. "What is it to you?" Harry snapped back.

Pettigrew seemed to draw back into himself at the fierce glare that was being directed towards him. He wrung his hands together in a nervous gesture and his darting eyes seemed to reflect the worry that he felt at his secret being discovered.

"Why do you have that book?" Pettigrew asked. "It isn't for Transfiguration homework is it?"

Harry paused to think, using that time to pick up the book he had originally been reaching for. "I want to become one, not that I need your permission for that," he finally replied, looking at the shorter boy with guarded eyes.

Pettigrew hesitated. "Why would _you_ want to become an Animagus?"

Harry raised a dark eyebrow at the tone of the question but managed to stop himself from rolling his eyes. "I want to help a friend."

Pettigrew started to chew on his lower lip, bringing attention to his large front teeth. "Ah … you…" Pettigrew hesitated. "A friend?" he finally managed to ask.

"Remus."

Upon hearing the answer he had dreaded hearing, Pettigrew's face turned bright red and he began to cough. It took several moments for him to regain control. "What … wha … how ... why," Pettigrew stuttered. "Why would you th– think that being an An– Animagus would help Remus?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Well so that I can help him during his transformation."

"Wha–"

"I know Remus is a werewolf," Harry said dryly. "Hence the reason why I'm studying the Animagus transformation. Would come in rather handy, don't you think?"

Pettigrew paled as he listened to Harry's revelation. "You've been spying on us!" he exclaimed. "Just wait until James and Sirius find out!"

"Who do you think gave me the books in the first place?" Harry sneered.

Pettigrew seemed to search for a reply but could find none. '_That's so typical of you Wormtail_,' Harry thought to himself as he glared at Pettigrew. '_Always hiding behind those bigger and more powerful than you are. It's a wonder that no-one suspected that you were the betrayer and it's everything I can do not to tell James and Sirius. You ruined their lives as well as Lily's but I know I can't tell anyone … and I hate that I can't … and I hate you because I can't._'

Harry train of thought suddenly stopped as he became aware of the ache in his jaw, caused by his clenched jaw. '_Relax Harry_,' he told himself sternly. '_Sirius will be back any moment and when he is, you can go back to ignoring Pettigrew._' With a small nod to himself, Harry spared a glance at the other Gryffindor, who appeared to be deeply unhappy.

"The Animagus transfiguration is really difficult," Pettigrew advised. There was a strange look in his watery blue eyes, something that Harry could not quite identify. "There aren't many wizards who can perform it you know … not successfully anyway. You might not be able to complete the spells properly."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "What exactly are you implying Pettigrew?"

Pettigrew shrugged but there was a slight twitch at the corner of his lips. All of a sudden, Harry realised what that mysterious look had been about. Pettigrew had been wearing a mask of superiority while he has talked about how difficult it was to achieve the Animagus transformation.

'_How dare that little rat presume that I wouldn't be able to become an Animagus … and that he was more powerful and skilled than I am!_' Harry mentally exclaimed. '_He wouldn't have been able to become an Animagus if it hadn't been for James and Sirius, not to mention Remus! Even after all that, all he could manage was to transform into a pitiful little rat! I'm going to give him a good piece of my mind, consequences be damned!'_

Harry opened his mouth to retort but he was interrupted by the exuberant return of Sirius, who had not noticed the tension between the two teenagers. Black hair fell gracefully around his face and his lips curved into a wide smile. "Harry, you should have come down to the kitchen with me! You missed the funniest sight … oh hello there Wormtail! How are you? Aren't you meant to be in class?"

Sirius made his way around Pettigrew until he reached the bed that Harry was sat upon. There was a moment where Sirius seemed to be considering something before he snagged a chair and dragged it over to the bed. Sirius removed several cakes from within his robes before flopping into the chair.

"I know you said you weren't hungry, but I bought you cake anyway. Fresh from the house-elves," he explained, passing aforementioned cake to a bemused Harry. "So … how did you find that book? It's very good isn't it? We definitely found it was the best one when we were doing our preparation."

Harry nodded as he eyed the cake in his hand. "Definitely, there's a whole load of stuff in there that I didn't have a clue about. It's definitely as hard a transfiguration as I imagined it to be," he replied as he carefully put the cake down on the bed, focusing his attention on Sirius. "Although _Peter_ seems to think that I won't be able to perform it successfully," Harry mentioned with a forced light tone.

Sirius laughed and pulled Harry into a one-armed hug. "Not only will you be able to do this transfiguration but you'll have four experienced wizards in Hogwarts to help you along the way! What could possibly go wrong?" he exclaimed. "Peter's probably just being pessimistic, aren't you?"

Pettigrew did not shrink under the criticism as Harry had expected him to. Instead, he turned to look at Sirius, pointedly ignoring Harry. "Sirius, why does _he_ know everything? I thought it was supposed to be a secret … just the four of us," Peter asked, his hands clenching the fabric of his robes.

Sirius seemed to be oblivious to the tension in Pettigrew body. "We trust him," was the simple answer.

Harry turned to look at the shorter boy. Pettigrew had opened his mouth as though to reply before changing his mind and snapping his jaw shut. Harry saw that there was a look of displeasure hidden behind the pale eyes, but it had disappeared a moment later. Harry blinked, a small part of him wished that Sirius was right but he couldn't help but compare the youth to the betrayer he would become in a few years' time. Still, Harry had many other people to occupy himself with and right now, that was Sirius. He pushed all thoughts of Pettigrew away and concentrated on the warmth Sirius radiated.

"So how far have you got to with that book then?" Sirius asked, reaching across Harry's lap to grab the thick research book.

Harry shrugged, allowing Sirius to invade his personal space in his quest to grab the book. "Not as far as I should be I imagine. There are a lot of things to cover. I'm sure it'll take me years to do it all!"

Sirius snorted. "I'd cut your 'years' downs to 'months' … and not too many of those at that."

Harry wished he had Sirius' confidence but rather than object again, he decided to indulge the blue-eyed teenager. "Whatever you say Sirius."

Sirius cocked an eyebrow at him. "Hasn't anyone told you? I'm always right," he stated with a straight face.

Harry looked at Sirius over his wire-rimmed glasses, with a raised eyebrow. The two teenagers stared at one another for several moments before there was a slight twitch at the corner of Sirius' mouth. Seconds later, both were laughing hard and neither noticed the door to the dorm click shut behind a quietly fuming Peter Pettigrew.

* * *

Sirius wrapped his arms around the much thinner boy and dipped his head until his nose rested in the wild black hair. "Has Lily been at you or something?"

"Pardon?"

"Your hair smells all girly," Sirius replied.

"It does not!" the other person protested.

"Trust me Harry, it does."

Harry turned within his embrace until they were nose to nose. "Sirius Black, my hair does not smell like … girls. If you want to know, I used your shampoo this morning."

Sirius smirked. "You used _my_ shampoo?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'd run out of my usual shampoo and I didn't think you would mind, all things considering."

Sirius snorted, letting Harry out of his embrace as he gesticulated with his hands. "Considering that I share most things with you, I don't see why my toiletries should be any different. Which ones did you use?"

"I must say Sirius, I've never met a person, male or female, who was as obsessed about his hair as you are," Harry shot back.

"Well some of us like to look good," Sirius replied as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Poncy git."

"I resent that!" Sirius said. "The only person who is a git is Snape."

Harry shook his head but the fond smile on his lips betrayed him. "You're absolutely incorrigible you know. Why do I put up with you?"

Sirius sent his best puppy-eyed look towards Harry. "You wouldn't have me any other way, would you?"

Harry laughed and sat down on the bed. "Fishing for compliments Sirius? Who would have thought you would have resorted to such low methods … and stop with the hurt puppy look! You know it doesn't work on me."

A glint formed in Sirius' eyes and a determined air seemed to surround him. He could sense a dare and he wasn't about to back down. "You're claiming my puppy eyes don't work on you then?" he asked. A moment later, Sirius had transformed into his Animagus form and was bounding across the room onto the bed that Harry was sitting upon.

"Ooph!" Harry exclaimed as his back hit the mattress. "Padfoot! You're heavy!"

Sirius looked down at Harry through Padfoot's eyes, seeing the world in many shades of grey. In the young man, he recognised something that he saw in himself. Harry was a boy tinged with darkness through no fault of his own, yet he was of the Light. Sirius, groomed to be the heir of a dark dynasty, had turned to the Light. Both understood the darkness within themselves in a way that few others did. Not even Harry's parents, James and Lily, could understand.

Harry tilted his head up to glare at the dog sitting on his legs, looking thoroughly disgruntled. "What the hell are you doing up there? Working out your exam revision timetable like Remus has been harassing you about or working out how you'll bring about world peace?"

Padfoot bared his teeth in a canine grin and lowered his head. A few seconds later, Harry squealed. "Padfoot! Get your _cold_ wet nose off my belly button right now! It tickles!"

Padfoot snorted and instead moved to lick Harry's face, however he was thwarted by Harry's hand on his snout. He transformed back into his human form, finding himself straddling Harry's legs. "You're no fun Harry," Sirius complained with a pout.

Harry rolled his eyes behind his glasses. "I'd much rather be a bore than have dog slobber all over my face and glasses," he retorted.

Sirius chuckled. "You poor thing," he replied in a mocking tone. "Want me to make you feel better?"

Harry levelled another glare at Sirius. "I don't want you anywhere near me Sirius Black!" he protested.

Sirius cocked his head to the side and looked down at the green-eyed teenager lying underneath him. He shifted on his 'seat' and raised an eyebrow. "I don't think you have a choice in the matter Harry. I quite like where I'm currently sitting as a matter of fact."

Harry scowled and tried to move out from under Sirius, but only succeeded in disturbing the bedding. "You annoying, irritating…"

"Gorgeous, funny and sexy man?" Sirius offered with an innocent smile.

Harry sighed. "You are impossible."

Sirius stuck his lower lip out in a mock-pout. "Don't you love me anymore?"

"I'd like you a whole lot more if you got off me."

Sirius looked thoughtful as if he were debating his response, even though he had already decided upon his course of action. He waited patiently, knowing that the moment to act would be when Harry reached up to adjust the position of his glasses.

Moments later, Harry pushed the oval spectacles up his nose and Sirius smirked. "Of course I will my dear Mr Potter … but first I must have an incentive. A kiss if you please."

"Is that all?" Harry asked hopefully.

Sirius nodded, a bright gleam in his eyes.

"Fine then," Harry replied. "If it means I can finally get up off this mattress! I feel like the Princess and the Pea … what on earth do you have in your bed." Sirius opened his mouth to explain but was stopped by Harry's next words. "Don't answer that, I don't think I want to know."

Sirius held back a snort. "It's only James' Snitch," he explained.

Harry blinked. "Why do you have it?"

"James is off somewhere with Lily and he asked me to bring it up to the dorm," Sirius continued. "I was about to put the ball in the case James has for storing it but it escaped. I spent an entire hour looking for the stupid thing with no luck. I guess you found it."

Harry snickered. "Well I guess that is why I'm a Seeker and you are a Beater."

Sirius rolled his grey eyes and waggled his eyebrows. "Now what about that kiss you promised me?"

Harry smirked. "Well since I can't get up, I think you'll need to move closer."

"Of course," Sirius replied and bent down towards Harry's face. Just as his lips were about to meet Harry's, a door slammed in its frame. Sirius felt himself falling down an abyss. The darkness enveloping him yet he still moving in the direction of a bright light.

With a gasp, Sirius awoke and sat up immediately. Breathing heavily he blinked several times, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, his heart hammering a furious beat in his ears. Sirius shivered in the cool room as the sweat evaporated from his skin while the stillness of the night was like an unnatural vacuum, removing all noise apart from the sound of his rapid breathing.

Visions of his dream rushed his into mind. Sirius took several deep breaths, willing his heart to stop its painful pounding. "It was a dream," he whispered. "It was a dream Sirius."

"Just a dream."

* * *

A huge thank you to everyone who has read the story and left a review. They are all read and considered where necessary and loved. I appreciate each and every one of them and they do encourage me to write. Many apologies for the long delay but I hope the chapter made up for the wait and keeps up with the rest of the story so far bites lips nervously

Much love to **Dadaiiro, Musicstarlover, A-Brighter-Dawn, RavenGryffendor, heala, Jaded Angel8, ShadowHuntress, Locolisa, ALB, Mr Happy Java Man, Romm, liveandletdie, Ash of Mine, Tielle, Seraphina Pyra, Hasufel, Saviera, tala, sapphireskies, firefly, Errorbasin, Acacia Jules, Larissa, Aphrodite, Redmeadow, Wytil, Ying FA18, Sykoticstalker27, Eriadne, littlebitcrazy, Angeline, Horsecrzy, gaul1, Anabelle426, futago akuma-tenshi01, Englishmuffin2, Anon, Waxnamar, bittersmiles, zorrox, CzechChicka, Sirius-Hotness, halstead, Torri, Nadezhda, lolo, lali, aaf, friend, Crimson Lady. Walker-of-the-shadow-path, Wren Truesong, vollypickle16, Windwhistles, lollipop1, padfootpuppyeyes, cute-kittycat-in-love, rayvern, TheWall, Dreamer22, firefly, rhyme peacecraft, crazyfanfictionfanatic, Eternal Cosmos, Hilary, siobhn01, kees, hoshi-tachi, PotionsPet, lessthanlucid, noodles540, Prongsblack, jaz7, Deanna Rae, Illucia, Iana Moon, Von, Jacquelyn, Herb, SiLvErFaTeD, SexySiriusBlack, Angel of Ravenclaw, KaylaisEvenstar, Sweet-single, Little Elflet, Callista MacLeod, Rhiain, preseph1ne, ZombieGurl98, Taylor423, Aprilise, memories of pain, insanechildfanfic, serena, snuffles, Rebble, Crissy Potter, Night-Rose14, Scarlet, gohan/videlgoten/trunkslover, vkay, kiki, James and Lily 4eva, xbrinax, Alphonce, kat7288, Rheniel, angelkitty77, selena, .me., Polkadotz, Nelly, Samira Salamir, Kerei Kitsune, Ohime-Yukigi, gerdnforge, Jay, jess, stardust, Hobbs, Pink Feline, Jack Sparrow's Only Love, Lolly O'Neill, Geminidragon, Malfunction, Mrs Tom Riddle, baby chaos, Larna Mandrea, Randell, Grey Mitten, CrimsonTearsOfPain, Stephanie, moonrider666, JadedxLily, molly, MidniteMarauder, Lunadeath, Timra, Gorman99, the bee, Cremated Hamburger, Ravensblack, Little Lioness, Anon2, Bittersweet Revenge, bobby, Sable Faith, Maxennce, torifire126, Rachel Snape, ScrewyLouie12, Mistress of Parchment, xsparklerx, Larail, JexyBaby, Delphine Pryde, Kalystia, Laughing Cat, ak-alterego, Magicalfoci, kjlady, Mikazuki Hime, banduan, cocopops, Alunarae, Lady Starlight **and** peacockgal17.**

**Dadaiiro** – Thank you! I actually have a soft spot for McGonagall, more so than Dumbledore but she is actually connected to the Potters in a roundabout way. Personally, I've always thought there was something in the fact she bought Harry his _Nimbus2000_ in the first year. As for Sirius' feelings? They'll be coming out in one big rush sooner or later … don't you worry. Sirius definitely doesn't know Harry is his godson and you'll notice Sirius isn't referred to in that term nor does Harry mention it. Deliberate on my part I admit, but its author's privileges. No comment on Harry's Patronus either. Snape, unfortunately, will get a lot worse before he improves somewhat but Harry's memories from his Pensive will eventually come into play. Your English is great by the way.

**Locolisa **– It might come up in passing, but when you're used not to eating much (for whatever reason), it is incredibly difficult to get back to normal portions, which is why Harry isn't eating much at the beginning of Hogwarts. He slowly improves on that front.

**Liveandletdie** – What Remus was counteracting were the silencing and locking spells Harry had cast at the start of the scene, nothing quite so special; but yes, the spell on Harry's trunk has been recast by McGonagall after this scene and before Peter found out, but it wasn't particularly necessary to the plot.

**Acacia Jules** – Lily will definitely be making a fair few appearances as will certain other people close to her. We'll learn a fair bit about her I hope.

**Ying FA18** – Not so far but its an interesting idea that I'll have to ponder on!

**Anon** – Voldemort does figure in the story but I can't say any more than that.

**Waxnamar** – There may be some R or NC-17 rated parts much further into the story but they'll only be posted on my **_Livejournal_** and possibly the **_Yahoo Group_**.

**Zorrox** – I wish I could drop everything else but with **_sirryslash_** and **_padfootparadise_** and my other writing obligations, I just can't grins however, Turn Back Time will always be my baby.

**Halstead** - hold sides from laughing so hard Damn you write funny reviews … or is it sleep deprivation affecting me? One thing I'll reveal just for you; Remus hasn't had his memory obliviated at all … there wasn't any need to … after all, who mentioned a time-paradox? Latin less time, _Tempus Fugit_ – Time flies … and you got the bit about Sirius breaking the spell! Not too many people did, congratulations! Hagrid's egg will come soon, but I don't think I'm going to be allowed to forget it anytime soon grins and the second wand is important as are many things I mention. I just choose not to mention them until it's the appropriate time. Seriously, don't expect to see it for a while. Crabbe/Goyle was my mistake but they didn't necessarily have to be in Lucius' year.

**Crimson Lady** – Definitely got the ship right there and as for a snake Animagus. Interesting idea, no I don't see them as evil either … but unfortunately, Harry won't be a snake.

**Wren Truesong** – Sirius and James will definitely have it out at some point and I have a vague idea of what will happen in that conversation but lets just leave it at that.

**cute-kittycat-in-love** – It hasn't quite clicked with that information yet but Harry has said he has lied about some things and not about others so James etc don't know if its part of the cover story or not. Voldemort will appear with several other well-known 'baddies' and thank you so much for the lovely comment.

**siobhn01** – Well Snape is walking a rather fine line but he does have a fascination with Harry. You'll be seeing a bit more of it in a future chapter but it won't be what you're expecting I hope.

**Illucia** – I'm hoping you were referring to the WWW box he got because if you were then yes, there is definitely a scene where you see the Twin's mischievous nature but not is all that it seems. There is a surprise at Christmas with regards to the book. As for the changing or the timeline or not, well I am a Physicist by nature so I hope that you trust me with that particular area; but it's the big things that change the timeline but the small things that make the big things happen.

_This one applies to many people who suggested a panther for Harry's Animagus form. _

**Von** – Thank you so much, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. As for the panther, well that is a particular favourite of mine and one I normally choose for other fics, but unfortunately Harry's Animagus form in this story has several implications to the plotline and so the panther won't be the featured animal; great guess though. Definitely more of the Harry-Snape interaction to come.

**Angel of Ravenclaw** – Yes, the Marauders (minus Pettigrew) will find out about Lily but it won't be a sudden revelation, hopefully more amusing in the long-term. As for Lily finding out, I can't reveal that, sorry.

**Callista MacLeod** – Thank you for such a lovely review. I'm very impressed that you were reading until so early in the morning and then even managed to leave a review. Thanks … and Harry really does deserve a break … unfortunately, it doesn't last _that_ long. As for the review, I wasn't withholding at all, it was just an incentive for the dream sequence on this chapter, however that was never a factor in my writing. What was a factor was the fact that my life changed a lot in June and I've been busy ever since. I'm trying to fit in my writing wherever possible, but **Turn Back Time** has a hugely complicated plot and it needs time and patience so that I don't miss a big plot point out. I can only apologise for the wait but I would never dream of withholding a chapter until I get a certain number of reviews. I never started to write for the reviews and I still don't, but I love and appreciate every single one of them.

**ZombieGurl98** – Glad I changed your outlook on time-travel stories where Harry meets his parents. I agree which is why I started writing **Turn Back Time**.

**Aprilise **– Well I can answer one of the questions at any rate! Harry doesn't have to tell the other people about his Big Sister … and I'm leaving it at that.

**Night-Rose14** – Your idea about the leather trousers is definitely funny … I hope my plan amuses just as much!

**Xbrinax** – Yes it does! grins

**CrimsonTearsOfPain** – Actually it's the pairing you were hoping for … and updated!

**MidniteMarauder** - giggles You're funny! Thank you so much for the lovely (long) review, it was most definitely appreciated! As for Harry/Draco, it's a pairing I enjoy buts it's so rare that I enjoy a story with that pairing now since so many authors write it and there is a lack of originality which is something I look for. Glad you enjoyed it Lisa and I loved your review!

**Bittersweet Revenge** – Keeping everyone in character or as close as possible and where not possible, giving them my own spin is very important to me and I'm so glad that you enjoyed the story so far! I should probably say I'm no longer seeing a Harry/Luna at all. If I had a het pairing? I don't know, perhaps a female character I could build up. You are rather close with the whole Sirius-Harry dynamic at the current time though. As for _the Matrix_ thing, I think I fudged the timelines somewhat but 1996 would be Harry's latter part of the Fifth Year and first part of the Sixth Year, so I used artistic license for Harry having seen the movie in his summer break. Maybe Katie Bell or Susan Bones? Catch you on Y!IM soon I hope.

**JexyBaby** – Wow! Just a wonderfully long review which I remember made me as red as a tomato! Sorry that you failed the exam but I hope it was definitely enjoyable! The eyes … well that they represent is important, but I'm a firm believer in the theory that '_the eyes are the window to the soul_'. Did you really swoon? Romantic? huge grin I don't like the whole jump-into-bed-and-shag thing either although it does have its place smirks The trousers will make an appearance … what Harry looks like right now? Well, let me work on that. I can't give you a timeframe but I'll definitely look into it. Seriously girl, who are you? We're thinking on the same wavelength! You need to email or IM me!

**Lady Starlight** – I do hope I've managed to convert … okay, open a new door to slash! I really get a lovely warm feeling when I do and glad you're enjoying the story.

* * *

Finally, I come to Hagrid's egg. I mentioned it and then left it. I know … I did it on purpose but I've done that with a lot of things mentioned in **Turn Back Time**. They're mentioned the once and then left until I'm ready to use them in my plot. All I can ask is that you are patient with me and all will be revealed!

Author notes: The **Turn Back Time Yahoo Group** is a place where updates, missing scenes and general discussion about the story can be found as well as random spoilers for future chapters. Updates and other writings can also be found on my **Livejournal**. Links to both sites can be found on my profiles page.

Next chapter: Remus makes a revelation. Harry and Sirius encounter someone from Sirius' past and the Marauders discover a disturbing fact from Harry's encounter with Umbridge.

I'm hopefully going to get the second chapter of **Turn Back Time** re-written after receiving it from my betas and post it soon as well as start work on _Chapter 12_. Keep an eye on my **Yahoo Group** or **Livejournal** for updates to my progress.

I apologise in advance for any mistakes, spelling, grammatical or otherwise. It is all my fault since this is unbeta'd. Please review and send any helpful comments, all will be appreciated. Any flames, however, will be, in all honesty, disregarded. Thank you for reading!

_**SStar**_


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